My Approach | Annie Urstad, LPC-A

Foundation

Parts Work (IFS) and Inner Child Work

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is built on a simple idea: we're all made up of different "parts," each formed for a reason. The part that people-pleased, the one that stayed quiet, the one that held everything together. These weren't flaws. They were survival strategies. In our work, we get curious about these parts rather than fighting them, and bring compassion to where they came from.

Inner child work takes this deeper, going back to understand what the younger version of you needed, learned, and is still carrying. Not to stay in the past. To offer it something it may never have received: safety, validation, and care. This is often where real change happens.

I also look closely at attachment style, meaning how you learned to connect and protect yourself early on. This is especially central in couples work, where naming each partner's patterns changes everything.

Annie in Japan — embracing her inner child

Who I Work With

You might recognize yourself here

Anxious attachment

Overthinking, needing reassurance, fearing what distance means. We'll build a steadier sense of safety — from the inside out.

Anxious–avoidant couples

One pursues, one pulls back. Both end up exhausted. We'll name the pattern and understand what's driving it, without anyone being "the problem."

Highly sensitive people

You feel things deeply and absorb a lot. We'll work at a pace that respects your nervous system, even when the work itself is hard.

Perfectionists and control-seekers

Control is often anxiety in disguise. We'll look at what it's protecting, and build something more sustainable underneath.

Anxiety and depression

Often rooted in the same patterns we're already working on. We'll address it at the root, not just manage the symptoms.

Framework

How I work

Person-centered

You are the expert on your own life. I create a space of genuine warmth and safety, and let your values and pace lead the way.

Goal-oriented

Insight alone doesn't create change. Action does. We set clear intentions and track progress, so sessions feel like they're going somewhere.

CBT tools

Practical tools for catching unhelpful thought patterns, managing anxiety in the moment, and building habits that support the changes you're making.

Attachment-focused

Your attachment style shapes how you relate, react, and protect yourself. Naming it, especially in couples work, changes the whole dynamic.

Somatic and holistic

Mind, body, and soul. All connected. We look at sleep, movement, nutrition, and where you hold tension. You may leave with homework: a yoga class, a walk in nature, a breathing practice.

Honest. Direct. Gentle. All at once.