Meaning & use
countertransference
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
In therapy, the feelings a therapist develops toward a client, often rooted in the therapist's own past experiences.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: the therapist noticed countertransference, rather than a countertransference.
Patterns
- countertransference toward someone
- manage countertransference
The supervisor helped her recognize countertransference when a client reminded her of her mother.
Unnoticed countertransference can cloud a therapist's judgment.
He wrote a paper on countertransference in group therapy.
Common combinations
- manage countertransference
- Trainees learn to manage countertransference through supervision.
- recognize countertransference
- She learned to recognize countertransference as soon as it arose.
- countertransference reaction
- A strong countertransference reaction told the therapist something was happening.
- explore countertransference
- In supervision they explored countertransference around the client's anger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emotional reaction
- Emotional reaction is a general phrase for any feeling, while countertransference refers specifically to a therapist's response within treatment.
- projection
- Projection means assigning your own feelings to someone else, and describes only one way countertransference can show up.
Word family
- transference noun
- a client's feelings toward the therapist, taken from earlier relationships
- transfer verb
- to move something from one place or person to another
- countertransferential adjective
- relating to countertransference
Commonly confused: countertransference or transference?
countertransference vs transference
Transference is the client's feelings toward the therapist. Countertransference is the therapist's feelings toward the client.
Practice
A therapist feels sudden irritation toward a client who reminds her of a difficult relative. This is an example of ___.
Choose one answer.
The feelings come from the therapist toward the client, which is countertransference. Transference would be the client directing feelings at the therapist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “countertransference”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.