Coaching Readiness: How to Choose the Right Level of IFS-Informed Support
People often reach a point where change feels necessary and coaching seems like a possible next step. Some have tried coaching before and did not experience the results they hoped for. When this happens, it may mean the coaching model they chose was not aligned with their level of internal readiness. Different stages of personal development respond better to different kinds of support. Understanding this can help people choose a path that matches what they need right now.
This article explains why readiness matters, how the different forms of IFS-informed support relate to one another, and how healing work lays the foundation for effective coaching. It also clarifies the difference between an IFS coach and a Compassionate Results Coach so readers can choose the kind of support that matches their intentions.
All IFS-Informed Support Involves Healing
IFS is designed to help people relate to their inner experience. Healing happens whenever parts of the internal world receive attention, compassion, and understanding. Because of this, healing is not limited to therapy. It can occur in any IFS-informed setting.
What differs is the intention of the work.
IFS therapists focus primarily on healing and emotional safety.
IFS practitioners also focus on healing and internal balance, often at a lower cost than coaching.
IFS coaches support healing whenever it arises and also help clients work toward future-facing objectives.
IFS coaching does not replace healing. It integrates healing into a process that is oriented toward outcomes. Coaching becomes more effective when the internal system has enough stability to explore change without creating significant pressure for an internal world of parts that are already working hard to manage emotional wounds.
Why Access to Self-Energy Matters for Coaching
Self-energy supports clarity, calmness, curiosity, and compassion. These qualities help people stay present and engage the coaching process without becoming overwhelmed. When someone has access to Self-energy, even imperfectly, they can pause before reacting, explore their inner world with openness, stay with difficult emotions long enough to understand them, and follow through on coaching objectives with greater alignment.
Coaching works best when this internal foundation is in place. If the internal system is carrying a high level of activation or emotional pressure, healing work often provides a more supportive environment before focusing on a coaching objective.
Heal Enough to be Ready for Coaching
Many people benefit from beginning with healing-focused support. Therapy and practitioner work are often less expensive than private coaching, and they allow the system to focus on healing without the added pressure of a coaching objective. This helps stabilize current circumstances, increase internal safety, and strengthen access to Self-energy.
A coaching objective can feel demanding for individuals already working hard to manage unhealed emotional wounds. When healing is the primary need, therapy or practitioner support usually creates a more stable foundation. This stability can make future coaching more effective because the system is better prepared for the pace and focus of coaching objectives.
The Difference Between an IFS Coach and a Compassionate Results Coach
People looking for IFS-informed coaching often encounter various titles. Some practitioners call themselves IFS coaches rather than IFS practitioners as a matter of personal preference. Because of this, it is helpful to understand what is being coached.
There are two general approaches to IFS-informed coaching.
Some IFS coaches focus on helping clients learn and use the IFS model itself. In this approach, the coaching objective is the use of the model. Sessions center on developing the client’s ability to identify parts, access Self-energy, and apply the steps of IFS. This can be a good fit for people who want help learning how to use the model in their own inner work.
Other IFS coaches use the IFS model as a tool to support the client’s broader coaching objectives. Here, the coaching is not about learning the model (although this is a wonderful side benefit). It is about achieving the outcomes the client wants coaching to help with. Parts work is used to understand internal reactions, increase alignment, and support sustainable change.
A Compassionate Results Coach follows this second approach. Compassionate Results Coaching uses the system described in the Compassionate Results Guidebook. The coaching focuses on the client’s desired outcomes. The IFS model is used whenever it supports those outcomes. Healing is included whenever it arises. The intention is to help clients achieve meaningful results while honoring the needs and concerns of their internal system.
This distinction helps people choose the form of coaching that matches what they want. Some want coaching on how to use the IFS model. Others want coaching that uses IFS to help them accomplish their objectives. Both approaches are valid. What matters is clarity about the intention of the work.
Where True You Coaching Groups Fit
True You Coaching Groups offer another form of IFS-informed support. These groups are designed for people who want to practice using the IFS model while increasing access to Self-energy. Meeting with fellow participants in a group coaching environment often meets relational needs that early childhood experiences did not fulfill. Group settings can be healing, can create deep connection, and can provide a safe space for authentic self-expression. Over time, many participants experience more internal steadiness and more confidence in working with their parts while being witnessed by others.
How to Know What You Need Now
The Coaching Readiness Self-Assessment can be found in The Coaching Readiness Guidebook. The Guidebook is designed to help you understand the internal conditions that make each form of IFS-informed support most helpful. The questions invite you to notice how you relate to emotions, stress, activation, decision-making, and relational experiences. Your responses can clarify which kind of support best matches where your system is right now.
The assessment describes three general readiness categories.
Healing Focus: when the system benefits from emotional safety and stabilization.
Healing with Future-Facing Objectives: when healing continues and the system can also explore future goals.
Future-Facing Objectives with Healing When Needed: when the system has enough internal steadiness to focus primarily on coaching.
These categories describe patterns that often show up in people’s internal systems. They outline the conditions that make therapy, practitioner support, group coaching, or individual coaching most helpful. The self-assessment provides a clear way to reflect on these conditions so you can choose the kind of support that fits your needs today.
