Therapist anger: from being a therapeutic barrier to becoming a resource in the development of congruence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The counselor’s emotional response to clients plays a crucial role in psychotherapy. It can have a profound influence on the client’s experience, on the therapeutic relationship, and on therapeutic outcomes. This article will focus on the therapist’s experience of anger. Research on how the therapist can express that particular emotion in a productive way is quite limited. We will also discuss possible reasons for why humanistic practitioners find it difficult to accept and/or express their feeling of anger toward the client. Addressing therapist anger may be a pivotal therapeutic resource, namely allowing the experience of greater personal congruence for the therapist. Implications for clinical practice and training will be discussed in three stages: refining one’s anger within oneself, expressing one’s anger to the client, and maintaining contact with the client afterward. This will hopefully encourage counselors to welcome and assimilate their anger in a therapeutic and productive way, ultimately through greater therapist congruence.