What is Neuroqueering IFS?

To neuroqueer our therapeutic practice means that…

the professional who offers services that help clients with their mental health critically considers how their practice of therapy can be adapted to undo neuronormative and heteronormative biases.

The word “neuroqueer” was created by Nick Walker, whose website (link here) contains plenty of free resources on this cutting edge (and exciting) concept.

My dear colleague, Jude Carn, and I, Alessio Rizzo, are both neuroqueer psychotherapists in the UK and share many interests and identities, including our love for IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapy.

In October 2024 we presented at the IFS Conference a workshop called “Neuroqueering IFS” to invite the IFS community to join us in the process of neuroqueering our practice.

Jude and I hope to create interest in this topic and to inspire IFS professionals around the world to start considering how we are all inevitably biased by neuronormative and heteronormative standards, which we might unconsciously propagate in our work, impacting negatively the queer and neurodivergent communities that we strive to serve.

Jude and I came up with the ten principles of Neuroqueering IFS. You can download a pdf copy of these principles with additional notes and explanations by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.

The 10 Principles of Neuroqueering IFS

1. To Neuroqueer all these principles!

2. Engage in Neuroqueering as a Process

3. Commit to Continuous Education

   When practising IFS with others:

4. Use Identity-First Language as a default, adapting it to where the client is at

5. Respect for self-diagnosis and self-determination

6. Acknowledge the subjectivity of experience of Self

7. Empower Clients as Self-Led Ambassadors

8. Who is labelling who?

9. Awareness of normative burdens

10. Recognise Intersectionality