Sources of Therapists' Countertransference Feelings

Abstract

Milieu therapists' feelings toward their patients in three treatment homes for psychotic patients were measured with a feeling word checklist. The answers were examined with regard to two feeling dimensions: helpfulness and closeness. By using a two-way ANOVA, contributions to the therapist's countertransference feelings could be separated into three parts: those that belong to the therapist's habitual way of reacting toward patients, those that are reciprocal reactions to the patient's habitual way of evoking reactions, and, finally unique reactions, characterizing the recurrent feelings of a certain therapist toward a certain patient, apart from the habitual patterns. It was found that all three factors contributed significantly to the therapist's feelings. The therapist's style contributed substantially to feelings of helpfulness, as well as to feelings of closeness. The contribution from the patient's recurrent evocative style was most conspicuous regarding the therapist's helpfulness and less so concerning closeness. The unique reactions contributed strongly both to the therapist's helpfulness and to his or her closeness.