ABSTRACT
Reciprocal roles (RRs) are central to the Cognitive Analytic Therapy model. When developing exits from unhelpful problematic procedures, the aim is to facilitate the development of a broader range of RRs, and in particular to develop and strengthen healthy RRs. The following illustrates the range of healthy RRs associated with good-enough care: Validating to validated; Understanding to understood; Listening to listened to; Encouraging to encouraged; Accepting to accepted; Setting limits to contained and held. Having established experiences of the client demonstrating the parental role of caring in relation to others, the therapist’s task is to support the client to learn to show these qualities towards themselves. Sometimes clients can seem to understand and demonstrate the skills of caring towards others, but are unable to receive this caring for themselves, either from others or from themselves. Fortunately, alongside their difficult experiences, most clients will have some positive experiences of care, often from a grandparent, teacher or friend.
