Michelle Barsky, LMHC - Psychotherapist

05/25/2026

Avoidant attachment is often misunderstood.

Many people assume it means someone is emotionally unavailable, afraid of commitment, or simply doesn’t care. But from a trauma-informed, Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective, avoidant attachment is often a protective adaptation that developed when closeness felt overwhelming, unsafe, or emotionally costly.

In my latest blog post, I explore:
✔️ How avoidant attachment develops
✔️ The protective parts that create emotional distance
✔️ Why withdrawal and self-reliance often make sense
✔️ What healing looks like from an IFS perspective

Understanding these patterns through a lens of compassion rather than criticism can open the door to deeper self-awareness and more secure relationships.

Avoidant attachment explained through a trauma-informed IFS lens - learn how it develops, shows up in relationships, and how healing supports secure connection.

04/30/2026

The overthinking after the text. The sudden "ick." The protest behavior you swore you'd never do again. The hope surge. The shame spiral. The exhaustion.

If dating brings up a lot for you - you're not broken. You have parts.

I'm running a 2-hour experiential workshop for single women who want to actually understand what's happening inside them when they date - through an Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens.

We'll meet:
🌿 The Ruminator ("Did I say the wrong thing?")
🌿 The "Ick" Part
🌿 Protest Parts
🌿 The Hopeless/Resigned Part
🌿 The Inner-Critic

Through guided reflection, journaling, and a gentle meditation, you'll leave with language for your patterns, more compassion for yourself, and tools to pause, unblend, and respond instead of react.

This is not dating advice. It's inner work - so dating feels less like chaos and more like choice.

📅 Sunday, June 14th · 12–2 PM ET
💻 Live on Zoom
💛 Tiered pricing: $35 / $55 / $75

Register + full details 👉 www.mytherapyspace.net/groups/workshop
(Feel free to share with a friend who might need this.)

03/01/2026

People pleasing might actually be your nervous system trying to keep you safe by using the fawn response. In my new post I break down how trauma therapy and IFS can help you heal and reclaim internal safety.

https://www.mytherapyspace.net/single-post/people-pleasing-and-the-fawn-response-a-trauma-therapy-perspective

People pleasing may be a trauma response. Learn how trauma therapy and IFS therapy help heal the fawn response and restore internal safety.

02/12/2026

Feeling so grateful (and excited!) to serve as a Program Assistant in next week’s IFS Level 1 training. Honored to help support this powerful work and the clinicians stepping into it. 💛

01/25/2026

How does Anxious Attachment show up in relationships?

Anxious attachment isn’t a character flaw - it’s an adaptive response that keeps us seeking connection when safety feels uncertain. From an IFS lens, we can learn to notice the parts driving fear and longing, and respond with curiosity instead of shame.

https://www.mytherapyspace.net/single-post/how-anxious-attachment-shows-up-in-relationships-a-trauma-informed-ifs-perspective

Anxious attachment is often misunderstood as being “too much,” “needy,” or overly dependent. From a trauma‑informed, Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective, it looks very different. Rather than a flaw or personality problem, anxious attachment is an adaptive strategy, one that developed...

11/06/2025

IFS curious? Wanna nerd out together about IFS and meditation? This one’s for you.

🔗 link to register: https://www.madronameditation.com/ifsworkshop

We’ll share:

🤓 Foundations of IFS
🌱 How IFS can enhance meditation practice — and vice versa
🧘🏻‍♀️ Experiential IFS meditation practice
🙋🏻‍♀️ Q + A time. Ask us anything!

Hope to see you there! And all registrants will receive a recording, so feel free to sign up if you’re curious, even if you can’t join live.

Huge shoutout and thank you to for hosting — and for the mission of integrating contemplative and therapeutic practices!

10/08/2025

Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Treatment-Resistant Depression, or Bipolar Disorder? 🤔 It's crucial to look beyond the labels and understand the trauma behind these conditions. Discover insightful perspectives in my latest blog that sheds light on the real issues at hand.

Read more here: https://www.mytherapyspace.net/single-post/when-borderline-personality-disorder-bpd-treatment-resistant-depression-trd-and-bipolar-are-ac

For many people, receiving a diagnosis like Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), or Bipolar Disorder can feel both validating and devastating. It can bring language to years of suffering, but it can also feel like a life sentence. These labels often imply a fi...

08/13/2025

Living with Complex PTSD often feels like an internal tug-of-war: part of you yearns to trust and connect, while another part remains guarded, forever on the lookout for threats.

In this post, we explore how one well-meaning inner “Figure It Out” part tries to mediate between those two extremes, and how healing begins not by picking a side, but by leading with gentle curiosity and compassion.

https://www.mytherapyspace.net/single-post/the-inner-tug-of-war-trust-fear-and-the-c-ptsd-figure-it-out-part

If you live with Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), you may know the exhausting inner dance between parts of you that seem to be in constant conflict, especially when it comes to relationships and trust.On one side, there may be a part of you that is open, forgiving, and willing to give people the benefit of th...

08/13/2025

I’m so incredibly excited and honored to share that I’m officially a Certified IFS Therapist!

Being an IFS therapist means so much to me, and I’m deeply grateful for all those who have supported me along the way! Here’s to continued healing, growth, and inner connection!!

02/27/2025

Some people experience the world with heightened sensitivity–feeling emotions intensely and absorbing the energy around them. Explore why neurodivergent individuals may be more prone to attachment trauma and how to heal these wounds.

Read more here: https://www.mytherapyspace.net/single-post/neurodivergent-and-deeply-feeling-individuals-why-they-are-more-prone-to-attachment-trauma-and-how

Some people experience the world with heightened sensitivity—feeling emotions intensely, absorbing the energy of those around them, and noticing details others overlook. Many of these individuals are neurodivergent, whether they have ADHD, autism, OCD, or heightened sensory processing. While this ...