METHOD AND LIMITS · LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 9, 2026
How MirrorCare works
and what it cannot do
MirrorCare is an educational self-reflection tool for adults aged 18 and over. It helps you organize what you remember about family interactions, how much those patterns still affect you, and where your boundaries go missing. It is not a diagnostic test, psychotherapy, or a crisis service.
Can it tell me whether my parent has NPD?
No. Your answers describe your recollections and your current experience. They cannot diagnose you or a family member, prove that something happened, or establish the cause of your difficulties. Narcissistic personality disorder is a clinical diagnosis made by a qualified professional through a broader assessment — not by a questionnaire, and not by a score.
How the questions were built
The item bank is original. It was written to cover four constructs that recur in the research and clinical literature on narcissistic parenting: control and entitlement, emotional invalidation, role reversal (parentification), and conditional warmth. Each item is a plain-language statement about a remembered interaction or a present-day pattern, answered on a five-point frequency scale from never to almost always.
The items were not copied or adapted from a copyrighted clinical instrument, and they are not a translation of one. The deep assessment uses a fixed set of 24 items so that results are comparable across people; the free reflection rotates nine items so that repeat visits are less repetitive.
How scoring works
Items are grouped into three domains: family interaction patterns, current impact, and boundaries and self-regulation. Each domain mean is calculated first, then one overall descriptive mean. The report also ranks the specific items you endorsed most often, because two people with the same average can have very different profiles.
There are no validated mild, moderate, or severe cutoffs. A mean of 3.8 is not “moderate trauma” and a mean of 2.1 is not “mild”. Lower scores do not prove that harm or risk is absent, and higher scores do not prove a disorder, a diagnosis, or a cause.
What the evidence does — and does not — support
Public research informs the subject matter: adverse childhood experiences, emotional neglect, parentification, invalidation, and boundary development are all studied constructs. That research explains why the questions exist. It does not validate this specific item bank, and no institution has endorsed this product.
This version has not completed expert content validation, bilingual back-translation, cognitive interviews, pilot testing, test-retest reliability, structural validity, or clinical criterion validation. We say this plainly because the alternative — implying validation we do not have — would be misleading, and in a mental-health context that matters more than marketing.
What US$14.99 buys
The 24-question assessment is free to take. The optional report is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. It includes:
- A three-part profile with the three domain means.
- Your four most-endorsed patterns, each with an item-level explanation and one linked action.
- A contact-strategy comparison: low-reactivity contact, limited contact, structured contact, and no contact — with when each may fit and what to watch for.
- A 24-hour, 7-day, and 30-day plan built from your highest-frequency patterns.
- An optional device-local trend so a later retake can be compared.
- A plain statement of limits and local support routes.
It is a rule-generated document, not a clinician's individual review, treatment plan, or diagnosis. A full sample built from invented answers is available at /sample-report so you can judge the depth before paying.
Delivery, access, and refunds
After payment is verified, the report is generated and delivered as a private link by email that you can reopen for 12 months, with HTML and PDF copies. Downloaded files do not expire. You do not need an account. If the email does not arrive, contact support@mirrorcare.cc.
If the report does not arrive, does not open, or differs materially from the sample, contact us within 14 days for a full refund. Change-of-mind refunds are reviewed individually and are not automatic once the report has been opened, except where local consumer law requires otherwise. Freemius, as merchant of record, processes approved refunds to the original payment method. The binding terms are in the refund policy and terms of use.
What happens to your answers
The quick reflection runs in page memory. Deep-assessment answers are sent over HTTPS to generate the report; the raw answer array and the report text are not written to the application database. To enforce one report per payment, we store the payment identifier, plan and pricing identifiers, currency, amount, status, timestamps, and a SHA-256 digest of the answer array. If you choose email delivery, we also store your email address and the generated report so the link can be reopened, and you can ask us to delete both.
Optional trend history stays in your browser: dates and four averages, never item answers. Freemius handles payment details; MirrorCare never receives your full card number. The complete account is in the privacy policy.
Safety and scope
MirrorCare does not assess violence risk and does not replace emergency help. If there is immediate danger, or risk of harming yourself or someone else, contact local emergency or crisis support first. Crisis resources are free, and you do not need a score or a purchase to use them.
A score should not determine a medical, legal, custody, or safety decision. Contact-strategy options are possibilities to weigh with a professional where safety is uncertain — not a universal instruction to end contact, and not a substitute for safety planning.
Who makes this
MirrorCare is written and maintained by the MirrorCare editorial team, which is responsible for the content, corrections, and the limits stated on this page. This version has not been reviewed by a licensed clinician. We do not list a reviewer we do not have, and we will name and credential one here if and when a real review takes place. Corrections and questions: support@mirrorcare.cc.
More about how the editorial team works.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). cdc.gov/aces
- Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 1998;14(4):245–258.
- Perceived Narcissistic Parenting Scale study. Primenjena psihologija. doi:10.19090/pp.v17i3.2516 [bibliographic details to verify]
- Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166(10):1092–1097. doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
These sources explain the constructs and the safety principles. They do not validate MirrorCare's questions, scores, or report, and they do not imply endorsement.
Questions people ask about the method
Is this clinically validated?
No. The item bank has not completed clinical validation, and we do not describe it as validated, evidence-based, or clinically proven.
Can a high score mean I have a disorder?
No. Scores are descriptive means from your own answers. They are not cutoffs, and they cannot establish a diagnosis or its severity.
Why charge for the report if the test is free?
The free reflection gives you the map. The report is the part that takes time to build well: item-level explanations, contact options, and a staged plan. Charging once for it keeps the free part free and avoids a subscription you would have to keep feeding.
Do you sell or share my answers?
No. Answers are not sold, and they are not used for advertising. The data flow is described in the privacy policy, including what is stored for payment and email delivery.
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