Countertransference

Countertransference is a redirection of a therapist’s feelings to a patient — their emotional entanglement with a patient. A therapist being attuned to counter-transference is nearly as critical as understanding transference. It helps them regulate their emotions in the therapeutic relationship and provides insight into what patients may be eliciting from them. For example, a therapist who’s sexually attracted to a patient must note how the patient might be eliciting this attraction. Once identified, the therapist can ask the patient about their feelings and how those feelings relate to unconscious motivations, desires, or fears.