Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding the ROI Model
Foundations: What & Why
The Role-Oriented Integrated (ROI) model is a framework for lasting change. Instead of focusing only on symptoms like anxiety or depression, ROI looks at the roles shaping your inner and outer life.
Roles can be upgraded just like skills: you can refine them, add new ones, and coordinate them so they work together. ROI keeps what’s useful from old roles, fills in what’s missing with new ones, and helps the “cast” of roles function as a team.
The result: when life gets stressful, the right role is ready to step forward — not the one that keeps you stuck.
ROI is effective because it’s not just theory — it’s a system designed for real-life change:
Four-dimensional view: We work across social, emotional, family, and somatic domains — addressing the whole pattern, not just isolated symptoms.
Roles as trainable jobs: When a role is rigid, extreme, or missing skills, we redesign the “job description” so the right role can take the lead.
Bottom-up learning: New roles aren’t just talked about — they’re practiced with the body, so your nervous system knows what to do under stress.
Team coordination: Roles learn to hand off, cooperate, and repair after slips — so your system functions like a team, not a collection of silos.
Built-in transfer and measurement: Quick between-session reps, safety scaffolding, and progress checks move gains from the room into daily life and show what’s working.
ROI follows a simple rhythm: Map → Upgrade → Rehearse → Apply.
Five micro-steps:
Spot the driver — What role takes over under stress?
Understand the job — What is it trying to protect or achieve?
Design the upgrade — Name the new role + pick 2–3 skills + a somatic anchor.
Rehearse safely — Practice in guided, low-stakes scenes until the body “gets it.”
Use & fine-tune — Try it in daily life; debrief and adjust fast
Tiny examples:
Boundary Wobbler → Boundary Setter (clear no + alternative)
Hot Reactor → Calm Responder (pause line + breath cue)
Fixer → Equal Adult (shared load + request)
Bracer → Grounded Breather (feet + full exhale)
Result: coordinated roles, measurable progress, and habits that hold under pressure.
Think of it like rehearsal. On stage, an actor doesn’t just analyze a script — they embody a role, practice new choices, and run the scene until it feels natural. ROI works the same way: you don’t just talk about change, you live it in safe practice, so when life’s spotlight hits, the right role is ready to step forward.
ROI builds on a strong foundation of role theory and experiential therapies. At its core is J. L. Moreno’s role theory and psychodrama, which view the self as developing through roles across the body, inner life, and social life. ROI extends this foundation across four dimensions — social, emotional, family, and somatic — and integrates insights from several established approaches:
Therapeutic Spiral Model (TSM): A trauma-focused psychotherapy (Hudgins & Toscani) that combines psychodrama, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and trauma theory. In ROI, we use TSM to scaffold safety and pacing, so new roles can face old triggers without overwhelm.
Internal Family Systems (IFS): Richard Schwartz’s “parts” model, which views the mind as an internal family. In ROI, we use IFS to clarify parts, design healthier roles around the Eight C’s, and strengthen Self-leadership to coordinate the system.
Post-Induction Therapy (PIT): Pia Mellody’s approach to healing childhood relational trauma. In ROI, we use PIT to practice re-parenting skills—affirming, nurturing, boundary-setting—so new roles can reliably care for vulnerable parts.
Robert Landy’s Role Method: A drama therapy framework that treats roles as core units of personality. In ROI, we use the Role Method to map and name roles step-by-step, test alternatives, and integrate replacements or complements.
Rehearsals for Growth (RfG): Daniel J. Wiener’s improv-based method for therapeutic change. In ROI, we use RfG to build spontaneity and flexibility so new roles transfer smoothly from session to real life.
Together, these influences give ROI its integrative strength: mapping and upgrading roles across social, emotional, family, and somatic dimensions so change aligns inside and out — not just in one corner of life.
For a deeper dive into the ROI model, see the recommended literature below.
Core Concepts: How ROI Sees People
Most approaches focus mainly on symptoms, but an ROI-informed therapist looks deeper. Instead of asking only “What’s wrong?”, they ask “How are your roles functioning?” They consider three dimensions:
Quantity: How many roles do you have to choose from? Are you relying on just one default, or do you have a fuller repertoire?
Quality: Are the roles in your “role family” healthy and reliable? Can each of them function adequately in different circumstances, especially under stress?
Flexibility: Can you shift between roles as situations change? Do your roles work together as a team — complementing one another rather than getting in each other’s way?
Think of it like a sports team: you need enough players on the roster (quantity), players who are skilled and dependable (quality), and the ability to rotate them smoothly during the game (flexibility).
When one of these dimensions is missing, roles can become overworked, rigid, or stuck. ROI helps restore balance by expanding, strengthening, and integrating your roles so they can support you in real life.
Roles don’t just live in one part of life — they weave through everything you do. Some show up externally, in how you relate to others:
Social roles shape the way you connect in friendships, work, and community.
Family roles reflect the patterns you inherit or replay in your closest relationships.
Others live more internally, shaping your inner landscape:
Emotional roles guide how you notice, name, and respond to feelings.
Somatic roles reveal what your body does automatically, whether under stress or in safety.
When all four dimensions are addressed, change becomes whole and sustainable. It’s like tuning all four strings of a violin — if even one is off, the music feels strained. ROI helps bring them into harmony, so your growth carries across every layer of life.
Once you start looking through the ROI lens, roles become easy to spot. Here are a few you might recognize — along with the healthier, more flexible roles ROI helps you build:
Social roles (work, friends, community)
When stuck: people-pleaser, lone wolf, conflict avoider, bulldozer.
ROI builds: Clear Communicator (say what you mean), Boundary Setter (say no when needed), Collaborator (ask/accept help), Repairer (mend relationships after conflict).
Emotional roles (how feelings show up)
When stuck: worrier, overthinker, numb-out, hot reactor.
ROI builds: Steady Observer (notice & name feelings), Self-Soother (calm your body), Choice-Maker (pause, pick next step), Responder (speak/act from calm).
Family roles (patterns learned in close relationships)
When stuck: fixer, peacekeeper, parentified helper, scapegoat.
ROI builds: Equal Adult (share power & voice), Boundaried Partner (keep self-respect), Shared-Load Teammate (ask/give help), Repair Initiator (apologize & reset).
Somatic roles (how the body reacts under stress)
When stuck: bracing, shallow breathing, hypervigilance, freeze/flight.
ROI builds: Grounded Posture (feel your feet), Full Breather (deepen breath), Safety Orienter (look around, sense safety), Flexible Mover (shift between rest & action).
In Action: What ROI Sessions Look Like
An individual session moves at your pace and might include:
A brief check-in and an update to your role map.
Guided practice to try out new roles in a safe, supported way.
Simple between-session “reps” — just a few minutes a day — to help new roles take root in real life.
Quick progress checks to see what’s working and fine-tune as needed.
Sessions always integrate ROI’s experiential toolbox — such as Rehearsals for Growth (improv-based exercises for relational issues) and psychodrama techniques for embodied role practice — so changes aren’t just ideas, but lived experiences you can call on under stress.
In couples work, the focus is on how your roles interact as a pair. A typical session may include:
Shared role map: We map the patterns that surface when you interact — for example, pursue/withdraw, fix/resent, or shutdown/escalate.
Live practice: Structured turns to rehearse new roles together — like Clear Speaker & Steady Listener, Boundary Setter & Repairer — with coaching and time-outs for regulation.
Co-regulation first: Short grounding resets (breath, posture, orienting) so bodies settle before problem-solving.
Conflict repair skills: Practice ruptures caused by old roles and experiment with repairs using new ones — naming impact, offering/receiving repair, and resetting the scene.
Home “micro-reps”: Bite-size practices (signals, pauses, role handoffs) you can use right away.
Progress checks: Quick milestones to track what’s sticking and fine-tune as needed.
Couples sessions draw on the Gottman Method for guidance, tailoring work to your relationship goals. All practice is supported by ROI’s experiential methods — Rehearsals for Growth and psychodrama — so you and your partner don’t just talk about change, you actively rehearse it.
Family sessions expand the lens to the whole system — parents, children, and generational patterns. A typical session may include:
Family role map: Identifying repeating patterns like parentified helper, peacekeeper, or scapegoat, and mapping how they play out across the family.
Interactive practice: Safe, guided exercises where family members try new roles — for example, Boundaried Parent, Equal Adult, or Shared-Load Teammate — with pauses for reflection and support.
Generational awareness: Exploring how inherited roles or cultural expectations shape current dynamics, and finding ways to shift them.
Conflict repair skills: Practicing rupture-and-repair cycles together — naming impact, giving/receiving repair, and resetting as a family unit.
At-home practices: Simple signals, rituals, or role handoffs families can use in everyday life.
Progress checks: Tracking what improves in daily interactions and adjusting as needed.
Family sessions are informed by Structural Family Therapy, tailoring work to the family’s goals and dynamics. Alongside that, ROI weaves in Rehearsals for Growth and psychodrama techniques — giving families embodied experiences of healthier roles they can continue at home.
Group sessions focus on practicing roles in a supportive community setting. A typical group may include:
Role mapping in community: Seeing how your roles show up in group dynamics — e.g., speaker, listener, supporter, avoider.
Guided exercises: Improv-style Rehearsals for Growth and psychodrama techniques that let you experiment with new roles in real time.
Peer reflections: Witnessing others’ role shifts and receiving feedback that deepens your own practice.
Skill handoffs: Learning how to move between roles — from bystander to supporter, or from avoider to clear communicator — while others are present.
At-home integration: Simple practices to bring group insights into daily life.
Progress tracking: Ongoing check-ins to notice growth across sessions.
Group sessions are designed to be safe, contained, and culturally attuned. They draw on the same ROI toolbox — Rehearsals for Growth and psychodrama — but add the power of community practice, so you rehearse not just with a therapist, but with peers who mirror real-world relationships.
Integration & Misconceptions
No matter where you start — on your own, with a partner, as a family, or in a group — ROI provides a consistent framework. The same tools run through every format:
Role mapping so you can see what’s running the show.
Rehearsals for Growth (improv-based exercises) and psychodrama techniques to practice new roles in embodied, real-time ways.
Between-session reps that keep change moving into everyday life.
Progress checks that track what’s working and fine-tune along the way.
What shifts is the focus:
In individual sessions, the spotlight is on your inner roles.
In couples sessions, the focus is on handoffs between partners.
In family sessions, we look at generational patterns and shared roles.
In group sessions, you rehearse in community, with peers mirroring real-world dynamics.
Because ROI is woven through all of them, you can move between formats without losing momentum. Each builds on the other, so growth compounds and feels integrated across every corner of life.
Not at all. ROI uses tools from psychodrama and improv, but this isn’t about acting or theater. You don’t need performance skills, a theater background, or a love of being in the spotlight.
Think of it this way:
No scripts, no stage. The focus is on your life, not putting on a show.
Simple actions, not performances. A role rehearsal might be as small as practicing saying “no” with both voice and body, or shifting posture to feel more grounded.
Opt-in, always. You choose your level of participation, and everything is done at your pace. Watching others practice can be just as powerful as doing it yourself.
Why not just talk? Talking helps with insight, but under stress, your body and emotions often revert to old roles. Practicing new roles with voice, posture, and action helps your nervous system remember what to do when it counts.
In short: it’s not theater — it’s rehearsal for real life.