The Embodied Parts-Work Toolbox
The Embodied Parts-Work Toolbox: Practical interventions for regulation, capacity, and integration
When I first began working with trauma, I felt underprepared. Not because my training was poor, but because there is a significant gap between theoretical knowledge and knowing exactly what to do in the room.
This toolbox is what I wish I’d had.
The Embodied Parts-Work Toolbox is a structured clinical resource for therapists who want practical, grounded guidance for trauma work - organised so you can actually use it, not just read it.
It draws on somatic and nervous system–informed approaches, parts-based frameworks including Internal Family Systems, and schema-informed models. Rather than presenting theory, it translates these into clear, sequenced interventions you can integrate into your existing practice.
What’s inside:
The toolbox is organised across three phases of trauma treatment:
Phase 1 - Safety & Stabilisation
Six interventions focused on building nervous system capacity before deeper work begins. Covering the Window of Tolerance, interoceptive awareness and affect tracking, pendulation and titration, distress tolerance and state-shifting tools (including both down- and up-regulation), resource development, and neurological orientation to safety.
Phase 2 - Parts Awareness & Adaptive Self Development
Six interventions for mapping and relating to the internal system. Introducing a non-pathologising parts framework, collaborative parts mapping, building the Adaptive Self, working with fusion and unblending when clients are highly identified with protective parts, the protector mode interview, and working with trauma-based shame, one of the most clinically complex presentations this work encounters.
Phase 3 - Trauma Processing & Integration
Four interventions for titrated trauma work once capacity is established. Somatic processing of traumatic memory, inner child and vulnerable part healing, imagery rescripting (both therapist-led and Healthy Adult–led), and therapeutic audio resourcing for between-session support.
Each intervention includes:
• Overview and clinical rationale
• Step-by-step guidance with clinician language
• Clinical notes and pacing considerations
• Contraindications and adaptations
This resource is for you if:
• You’re an early career therapist wanting a clearer framework for trauma work
• You’re integrating somatic or parts-based approaches and want structured guidance
• You have clients where standard approaches keep stalling - and you want to understand why, and what to do instead
• You want language and sequencing you can use immediately in session
This is not:
A replacement for formal training or supervision. The interventions here require appropriate training and clinical judgment to apply safely. This is a companion to your practice, not a substitute for it.
Unsure if this is for you? Here is a small sample of a few interventions from the toolbox: Inside The Toolbox
Do I need specialist training in IFS or somatic therapy to use this?
Not necessarily. The toolbox draws on these frameworks but is written to be accessible to clinicians who are integrating parts-based or somatic approaches rather than those who are fully trained in a specific modality. That said, the interventions do require a solid clinical foundation - this resource is designed to extend and structure what you already know, not to replace training. Always practice within your scope of practice and receive adequate and regular supervision.
Is this suitable for early career therapists?
Yes. It was written with early career clinicians in mind - particularly those who feel the gap between their formal training and the complexity of what they encounter in the room. The language is clear and the guidance is specific. Supervision is always recommended when implementing new approaches.
Can I use this across different therapeutic modalities?
Yes. The toolbox is intentionally integrative. Whether your primary orientation is CBT-informed, psychodynamic, schema therapy, or somatic, the interventions are designed to complement rather than replace your existing framework.
Is this appropriate for working with complex trauma and complex PTSD?
Many of the interventions are specifically relevant to complex presentations - including the shame intervention, the fusion and unblending work, and the phased structure throughout. However, complex trauma requires careful pacing, strong supervision, and clinical judgement. The toolbox includes clear guidance on when to slow down or return to earlier phases.
Can I share this with colleagues or use it in supervision?
The toolbox is licensed for individual use. It is not for redistribution, reproduction, or use as a teaching resource without permission. If you’re interested in group or organisational licensing, please get in touch at drkellyleech.com.
Is this a one-time purchase?
Yes. You purchase once and receive the PDF immediately. Future updates to the toolbox will be made available to previous purchasers. Please check your junk mail if you do not receive an email.
What format does it come in?
The toolbox is delivered as a downloadable PDF, formatted for both screen reading and printing.
I’m not a clinician - can I still purchase this?
This resource is written for clinicians and is not intended for self-directed use outside of a therapeutic context. If you’re looking for self-directed nervous system and parts-work content, the free Finding Your Ground guide is a better starting point.
The information contained in this PDF is not a replacement for formal training. Instead, it offers a 64 page document including grounded, accessible foundation of stabilisation, parts work, and trauma-processing tools that support confident, thoughtful practice. Structured in phases and rooted in nervous system awareness, this toolbox bridges theory and therapy room reality.
NOTE: Please check your junk email once purchased.
