Is it inevitable for a therapist to have just as strong counter-transference reactions as the patient?

Question

Even if they see patients all day?
Why do people become therapists, psy's, etc. ?

Answer 1

No.. but I sense you are uncomfortable with what's going on.

So, remember you can fire your doctor, fire your therapist, but

you still have you.

So I hope you feel safe..........soon......much luck your way!

Answer 2

It is not inevitable for a patient to have strong counter-transference reactions. If they do, they should not be practicing. One of the most fundamental concepts for a therapist to learn in training is to maintain good boundaries to prevent this type of reaction. If it happens, a therapist has a responsibility to make a responsible, kind referral for the patient to an objective therapist. This is not healthy for a client.

Seeing patients all day does not create an environment for this to happen. Like any professional, such as a nurse who sees patients who are sick all day, a mental health professional learns from experience to remain somewhat distant emotionally from the client's problems.

Some people think that others become therapists because they have their own problems. That might be the reason for initial interest, but the academic training is rigorous and through experience if someone reaches the level of licensure, they must be interested in psychology and research with dedication to helping the population become healthier.

Answer 3

No. A good therapist will recognise and challenge the client's transference. They will also use it as a diagnostic aid in therapy. For example, When the client becomes stressed or distressed, you can tell a lot about the original relationship and how they behave towards each other.

If you are experiencing counter-transferance, there are some questions that you must ask yourself and take into supervision. How is this benefitting the client? (The obvious answer is that they feel comfortable with a relationship they understand, but it is likely that the original realtionship was not doing them many favours.) How is it benefitting you? (On a super-ego level we may think we are doing good)

Most importantly, what are the boundry issues here? Many of the answers you ahve received show that many therapists do not know enough about boundries.

Although you must remember that not all transference is parental. You may remind them of a teacher and not realise it until you notice that you are doing more teaching with this particular client than usual.

As to the second part of your question, there is no one answer, but there are a few "norms".

The most common is that the therapist is a "rescuer" (Transactional Analysis)

Also high on the list is when we "save" others, we are really trying to save our damaged selves. Therefore people in this category will often work with specific groups of clients (teenagers, addicts, abused etc)

The third group are usually ones that have drifted into it from other professions. For example I was originally a Youth leader, and went on counselling courses to aid my ability in that field.

Hope this is what you were looking for.
All the best

Answer 4

It does happen with all kinds of issues. I find that it is most likely to pop up around the therapist's unresolved issues. A good therapist will seek consultation with their own therapist or a consultation group and work it though with them vs their patients. It is both a legal and ethical issue. why do we become therapists? what I hear over and over from therapists, interns and students is because they have benefited from therapy and they want to give back to others. On the other hand it feels good take our own life experiences ( some of the not so nice ones ) and use them as a spring board in helping others, that way the past can be reframed into a positive.

Answer 5

No, they don't. When you work with the mentally ill, you have a mindset that is separate from your "persona", and what you deal with is separate from your life outside work. When I have worked in mental health, I had to leave my real life when I got out of my car and step into a different mindset altogether.
Counter-transference is not a problem for a well-trainer therapist. Much of this is due to years and years of internship.

People become therapists because it is a wonderrful thing to dedicate your life to the well-being of other people. I can't explain the deep satisfaction from seeing one of your patients or clients make positive improvements.

Answer 6

It's not inevitable, but it happens.

People become therapists for any number of reasons. Like any other career path, some do it for good reasons, and some do it for bad reasons.

I used to work as a psychologist, and let me tell you, I worked with some great people. I also worked with a few wackos who should have been kicked out of the profession on their superegos. The upside is that there are many more good eggs than bad eggs.

Answer 7

a therapist should be bound by ethics and remain at all times,professional,,they should not engage at all in any personal dialog with regard themselves,,the patient must believe the therapist knows how to help them and if personal views are brought into the relationship it will undoubtedly fail.

Answer 8

I wasn't aware of that term, counter-transference reaction. But I understand the concept of boundaries. I'm not a professional, but I have friends and family who see/need to see therapists. Sometimes I find myself in that role. Boundaries are important. I need to work on that myself. Thanks for the question and all the answers, through which I learn.

Answer 9

No it is not inevitable. It does happen occasionally.

I have noticed that clinicians often become possessive about their patients; it's happened to me. It's something to be worked on. Sometimes you just "click" with a patient and have a mutual rapport.

I worked as a psychiatric Social Worker in an ER.
We go into this field because we want to help people (at least 95% do). It gives us a good feeling if we manage to make a difference in someone's life.

Answer 10

My therapist had such strong counter transference that we began a relationship of mother/daughter outside of therapy. It has scarred me so much. She ended it, and it has placed me in the hospital unfortunately. I have a hard time going to someone, spilling my guts, and then saying adios. I believe therapists become therapists to help others, but there are a few who take advantage of their power and control.

Answer 11

countertransference is inevitable, but it does not have to be prominent or toxic or negative. Every therapist has a past, so they will naturally have emotional reactions to what they hear. It just does not have to be a hostile reaction, just an ordinary one.