countertransference
IPA: kˈaʊntɝtrænsfˈɝʌns
noun
- (psychotherapy) The transference of a therapist's own unconscious feelings to his or her patient; unconscious or instinctive emotion felt towards the patient.
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Examples of "countertransference" in Sentences
- Being aware of the reason for the countertransference was a major step forward.
- The feelings summoned up in the therapist by the patient are called countertransference.
- Freud used the term countertransference to refer to the therapist's emotional responses to a patient during psychotherapy.
- An effective therapist has the capacity for empathy and will experience countertransference feelings, but should not allow them to interfere with the therapy.
- In fact, for psychiatrists who maintain perspective on these reactions and their distortions, countertransference offers an important opportunity to explore the patient's inner emotional world.
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