Relationship between patient and therapist counter transference in transference and non-transference practices

Abstract

The importance of therapists' emotional reactions, or Counter Transference (CT), in the therapeutic process has received attention in recent studies. The communication potential of CT has been highlighted by the systematic correlations these researchers have found between therapists' CT and numerous patient variables. To better understand the function of Transference Work (TW) in psychodynamic therapy and how it relates to therapist cognitive treatment (CT), we conducted a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). New study data has shown a consistent link among therapists' emotional response and Counter Transference (CT) in treatment, as well as a number of patient variables, illuminating the collaborative potential of CT. We looked into whether patient pretreatment interpersonal issues, the severity of personality dysfunction and the urge for psychodynamic therapy were associated with the therapist's transference work (TW) used in psychodynamic treatment in a Randomized Controlled Experiment (RCT) evaluating the role of TW. The second thing we looked at was whether or not the therapists employed TW in their sessions regarding these relationships. 100 outpatients received psychodynamic counseling (with or without TW). The Feelings Word Checklist-68 (FWC-68) was used to gauge their therapists' post-session emotional responses (CT). Patient characteristics differently predicted four FWC-68 subscales: insufficient, self-assured, extricate, and benevolent feelings. The level of pathology associated with PD. was connected with therapists in the non-TW group feeling less competent, according to some relationships that relied on the treatment situation. Patients' treatment desire was correlated with less troubling CT sentiments, including insufficient and distracted CT plus felt more self-assured CT. Depends on whether psychologists use transfer work in psychodynamic therapy, patient characteristics predict therapists' emotional Counter Transference in different ways.