Supervising student-therapists: Suggestions for the transfer of long-term psychotherapy patients.

Abstract

This article reviews patient and student-therapist variables thought to confound the transfer or forced termination phase of long-term psychotherapy conducted in training settings. Previous literature has demonstrated that not adequately attending to this critical juncture in treatment often results in the failure or disruption of therapy. Particular emphasis is placed upon examining the effects of countertransferance phenomena resulting from the student-therapist’s necessary affective investment in the patient, and how these reactions may undermine the transfer process and the course of psychotherapy. The authors offer suggestions for supervisors in assisting student-therapists to provide more effective treatment at the transfer juncture.