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Tansference and Counter Transference

Transference occurs when a person unconsciously associates someone in their present with a past relationship, which can lead to countertransference where they respond to the new person with thoughts and feelings from the past. This damages the therapeutic relationship. Counselors should be aware of signs of transference from clients, monitor their own feelings, and discuss any issues with supervision to better understand and navigate the client relationship. Developing deep understanding between counselor and client can help avoid transference and countertransference issues arising.

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Kiran Makhijani
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57 views

Tansference and Counter Transference

Transference occurs when a person unconsciously associates someone in their present with a past relationship, which can lead to countertransference where they respond to the new person with thoughts and feelings from the past. This damages the therapeutic relationship. Counselors should be aware of signs of transference from clients, monitor their own feelings, and discuss any issues with supervision to better understand and navigate the client relationship. Developing deep understanding between counselor and client can help avoid transference and countertransference issues arising.

Uploaded by

Kiran Makhijani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Transference is subconsciously associating a person in the present with a past relationship.

For example, you meet a new client who reminds you of a former lover.
Counter transference is responding to them with all the thoughts and feelings attached to that
past relationship.

Why Transference and Counter transference Matter in Counselling


When transference occurs, you or the client brings the whole history of an old relationship into the new relationship, rather
than seeing the other person for who they really are. Because it is an unconscious process, it can be hard to spot that this is
happening, and can even lead to countertransference, with one person reacting to the way the other is acting towards them
(in other words, ‘playing the part’ of the person in history). This is damaging to the therapeutic relationship, and so to the
client’s journey. Particular care must be taken with erotic and eroticised transference.

How to Help Avoid Transference and Countertransference


Ways to identify and deal with transference and countertransference include being aware of danger signs in clients,
monitoring self, and taking relevant material to supervision. Danger signs include the client ‘acting out’ or being very familiar
towards you, or you feeling parental towards your client. It is helpful to develop your self-awareness so that you are more
likely to notice and deal with transference, and to avoid responding with countertransference. If you do feel transference is
taking place from your client, ask them: ‘Do I remind you of anybody?’ It is important to take any issues of possible
transference to supervision; this support can enable you to:

 better understand the therapist–client relationship


 be more effective in working with the client’s process
 anticipate potential traps and potholes
 improve boundary maintenance

Mearns and Cooper (2005: 53) argue that developing relational depth is key to banishing transference and
countertransference: ‘The reality is that transference phenomena belong to a much more superficial level of relating where
people are still being symbols for each other.’

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