why does countertransference takes place and why.?

Question

i have to decribe countertransference and how a carer needs to be aware of it taking place.how do i know when this is happening and why does it. how do i prevent futher damage to the emotionally deprived children i work with.how do i know whose feelings i am feeling. can i make it a positive thing for the growth of the child.

Answer 1

There's a bit about it on wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertransference

Can't follow it myself, but hope it helps.

Here's another site:

http://earley.org/Patterns/transference_and_countertransfer.htm

Answer 2

Countertransference is one of the prime reasons why they recommend that anyone in the mental health field (especially those doing psychoanalysis) be in therapy or psychoanalysis themselves. Countertransference is when you (as the clinician) take your unconscious drives, throughts, and conflicts and attribute them to another person (the client). Sometimes, you are aware when this is happening. Other times, it is important to have a supervisor that you can go to and discuss these issues. If you look at it from a psychodynamic perspective (quite simply), if you are more consciously aware of your problems, you are less likely to attribute that to another person. So, perhaps you should look into therapy for yourself.
I know that for me, my current supervisor does not just focus on my client when we are discussing a case. She asks me a lot about my feelings and thoughts during the session. If you need to, tape a session and when you replay it, ask youself, "What was I feeling when that happened? What went through my head when that kid did that?" When you answered those questions, ask, "Why did that happen? Where did that come from?"
Basically, you can't help others if you can't help yourself.

Answer 3

Countertransference is defined in opposition to transference, where a person in therapy begins to transfer feelings (whether positive or negative) to the therapist. For example, the person in therapy may begin to look at the therapist as if the therapist were the patient's mother, transferring their feelings for the real mother to the therapist. This is considered a positive sign in psychoanalytic therapy, showing that the patient is making progress.---rest of article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertransference