Schiffian Reparenting: A Critical Evaluation

Abstract

Abstract This article describes the process of reparenting using transactional analysis. The author explores the controversial history of reparenting as practiced by Jacqui Schiff, beginning in 1965 when she and her husband began taking young people with schizophrenia into their home. Schiff experienced these youngsters as “childlike” and in desperate need of looking after. She was aware that she engaged in practices that might outrage conventional psychotherapists, and when confronted by her colleagues, she moved location several times in order to carry on her work. The article tracks critics of Schiff and the Cathexis model, including some who consider reparenting to be brainwashing and Cathexis to be a cult. The author and several members of the TA community share their personal experience of reparenting and/or training with Schiff.