Countertransference feelings in one year of individual therapy: An evaluation of the factor structure in the Feeling Word Checklist-58

Abstract

Although countertransference phenomena have been given much attention within psychotherapy theory, single-case studies and clinical anecdotes, empirical research is still conspicuous by its absence. To assess the therapists’ emotional reactions, which are understood to be part of the countertransference (CT), we used the Feeling Word Checklist 58 (Røssberg, Hoffart, & Friis, 2003); a self-report questionnaire, comprising 58 feeling words. The aims of the present study were to examine the underlying factor structure and psychometric properties of these factors, and to validate the factors by exploring the relationships between countertransference feelings and the following variables: therapeutic alliance, patient personality pathology, suitability for psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal problems, level of general functioning, and symptoms. Six therapists, who treated 75 patients, with weekly, psychodynamic therapy, over 1 year, completed the checklist after each session. To establish the number of subscales in the checklist, a principal component analysis with promax rotation was conducted. The analysis revealed four clinically meaningful factors named Confident, Inadequate, Parental and Disengaged. The psychometric properties of all subscales proved to be acceptable. Alliance as reported by both patient and therapist showed differential correlations with the subscales. The patients’ relational functioning showed stronger correlations with the CT feelings than the patients’ symptoms and level of functioning. The four subscales found in the Feeling Word Checklist-58 seem to capture clinically meaningful aspects of the therapeutic dyad, and countertransference feelings are systematically related to different relational variables.