ABSTRACT
The reformulation process is often a powerful experience of helping deepen the client’s understanding of themselves through the empathic joint therapeutic work. The process of reformulation allows the client and therapist to forge a working alliance through the accurate description of the new and jointly created understanding of the client’s difficulties. During the reformulation stage an understanding of current difficulties is achieved and these are called target problems. As part of the process of reformulation, the client’s repertoire of reciprocal roles (RRs) is identified. These RRs will have developed in response to childhood encounters, concepts drawn largely from object relations. The purpose of accurately naming these in the reformulation is to help the client feel empathically understood as well as fosters their own sense of compassion to the hurt and vulnerable part of themselves. The particular patterns identified by the client and therapist became the focus for self-monitoring during therapy.
