Countertransference
Countertransference refers to the phenomenon of unconscious feelings in the therapist in reaction to the patient’s verbal and/or non verbal communications in treatment. Countertransference can become a potent impediment to the progress of treatment if it influences the interventions of the therapist. However, the therapist’s relatively early recognition of his or her feelings toward the patient can become a valuable tool for understanding the nature of the patient’s transferential projections onto the therapist in the treatment situation.
There are superficial and fleeting reactions on the part of the therapist toward the patient, based to a large degree on objective reality and under good control of the therapist. In superficialtypes of the countertransference reactions, the therapist is aware that he is concealing his own responses to the patien and that his responses may be the projection of his own fantasies rather than the reality. More serious types of countertransference reactions are relatively stable, fixed, focused, and unconscious reaction of the therapist to the patient, based on some infantile aspects of the therapist’s personality provoked by the patient’s behavior or material. The countertransference feelings in the therapist are usually the result of the therapist’s defensive behavior, based on his early life experiences or current circumstances. Countertransference arises out of the therapist’s identification of himself with the patient’s internal objects (Racker 1981). Behavior such as distancing, unempathic interpretation, taking sides and reversal, reverting to dyadic or individual therapy, simplification of the issues, preoccupation and rationalized emotional withdrawal, shaming the patient, or impulsive attempts to control on of the spouses are some of the ways countertransference is exibithed. Termination of treatment is likely to occur at this point because of the unresolved transference.
Countertansference in family therapy is often the result of several factors, some of which are listed below :
1. The presence of multiple persons in family and couples therapy is likely to give rise to oedipal transferential configurations because of alliances, coalitions, rivalries, jealousies, boundary disturbances, and triangulations (Dare 1986). Interpersonal expression of intrapsychic defenses is a common phenomenon with the more disturbed, boundary-lacking families.
2. The active and self revealing nature of family therapy promotes expressions of countertransferential reaction in the sessions. The therapist’s is to remain outsides the conflict and not take sides.
3. It may be technically more difficult to completely avoid collusion with a family therapy, particularly when the painful issues involved may be similar or mirror those encountered by the therapist in, the course of his or her own past or current intimate relationships.
Countertransference refers to the phenomenon of unconscious feelings in the therapist in reaction to the patient’s verbal and/or non verbal communications in treatment. Countertransference can become a potent impediment to the progress of treatment if it influences the interventions of the therapist. However, the therapist’s relatively early recognition of his or her feelings toward the patient can become a valuable tool for understanding the nature of the patient’s transferential projections onto the therapist in the treatment situation.
There are superficial and fleeting reactions on the part of the therapist toward the patient, based to a large degree on objective reality and under good control of the therapist. In superficialtypes of the countertransference reactions, the therapist is aware that he is concealing his own responses to the patien and that his responses may be the projection of his own fantasies rather than the reality. More serious types of countertransference reactions are relatively stable, fixed, focused, and unconscious reaction of the therapist to the patient, based on some infantile aspects of the therapist’s personality provoked by the patient’s behavior or material. The countertransference feelings in the therapist are usually the result of the therapist’s defensive behavior, based on his early life experiences or current circumstances. Countertransference arises out of the therapist’s identification of himself with the patient’s internal objects (Racker 1981). Behavior such as distancing, unempathic interpretation, taking sides and reversal, reverting to dyadic or individual therapy, simplification of the issues, preoccupation and rationalized emotional withdrawal, shaming the patient, or impulsive attempts to control on of the spouses are some of the ways countertransference is exibithed. Termination of treatment is likely to occur at this point because of the unresolved transference.
Countertansference in family therapy is often the result of several factors, some of which are listed below :
1. The presence of multiple persons in family and couples therapy is likely to give rise to oedipal transferential configurations because of alliances, coalitions, rivalries, jealousies, boundary disturbances, and triangulations (Dare 1986). Interpersonal expression of intrapsychic defenses is a common phenomenon with the more disturbed, boundary-lacking families.
2. The active and self revealing nature of family therapy promotes expressions of countertransferential reaction in the sessions. The therapist’s is to remain outsides the conflict and not take sides.
3. It may be technically more difficult to completely avoid collusion with a family therapy, particularly when the painful issues involved may be similar or mirror those encountered by the therapist in, the course of his or her own past or current intimate relationships.
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