In a subsequent session when Ruth was again bemoaning her critical father, I borrowed from Gestalt therapy the technique of role playing: talking to her father by talking to me, saying in a first-person way some of the things she did not say to her father on the phone. I elected to encourage her to talk directly to me-look me in the eyes-rather than either reporting in an abstract way or “talking to the empty chair.” Ordinarily, in long-tern work, I hesitate to employ any of these techniques, relying on supportive listening’ Perhaps because of the pace of these half-hour sessions, this more “active” style on my part seemed right at the time. If I had consciously entertained a rationale, which I did not, it would involve a couple of objectives. One of these is that I would like Ruth to become more aware of her feelings and more aware of how she has considerable choice in whether or how she enters into what she feels-how she can “get into it.” Another is that I’m sure her experience of her father is much more complex than her usual black-and-white portrait of him lets on. Expressing different sides of her in these role plays paves the way, in the long run, for a greater appreciation for ambiguity, complexity, and freedom.