{"id":15637,"date":"2016-09-07T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T10:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=15637"},"modified":"2026-09-05T11:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T10:00:46","slug":"countertransference-in-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/countertransference-in-therapy.htm","title":{"rendered":"Countertransference – When Your Therapist Loses Objectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What Is Countertransference in Therapy?<\/h1>\n
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By: Alan Cleaver<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Therapy is, at its core, a relationship. Like any relationship, it can bring up strong emotions on both sides. Two ideas that can help make sense of this are transference<\/strong> and countertransference<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Transference<\/strong> happens when a client unconsciously redirects feelings, expectations, or patterns from past relationships onto their therapist. For example, a client might become particularly rebellious or defensive with a therapist who reminds them, consciously or unconsciously, of a strict or controlling parent.<\/p>\n

Countertransference<\/strong> is the therapist’s emotional response to the client. This can include the therapist’s response to the client’s transference, as well as other feelings that arise within the therapeutic relationship.<\/p>\n

The term was first used by Sigmund Freud to describe the therapist’s reaction to what a client brings into the therapeutic relationship. Since then, different therapeutic traditions have developed different understandings of countertransference. Contemporary approaches often view it not simply as the therapist’s personal issues being stirred up, but as something that can emerge within the relationship between therapist and client.<\/p>\n

Countertransference is considered a normal and, to some extent, unavoidable part of therapeutic work. The aim isn’t for therapists to eliminate emotional responses altogether, but to notice them, reflect on them, and understand them rather than allowing them to unconsciously influence their behaviour.<\/p>\n

Understanding countertransference matters because how a therapist notices and works with their reactions can affect the safety and quality of therapy.<\/p>\n

Countertransference vs Its Mismanagement<\/h2>\n

Countertransference itself isn’t necessarily a problem. A therapist’s emotional response may provide useful information about what is happening within the therapeutic relationship.<\/p>\n

A therapist might notice feelings of protectiveness, boredom, irritation, warmth, anxiety or even frustration. These feelings don’t automatically tell the therapist something definitive about the client. Instead, they can be something for the therapist to become curious about and explore through reflection and supervision.<\/p>\n

The difficulty can arise when a therapist doesn’t recognise or process their response and instead acts on it without sufficient reflection. This may contribute to what is sometimes called an enactment<\/strong> – when dynamics within the therapeutic relationship are acted out rather than understood and explored.<\/p>\n

For example, an unprocessed emotional response might contribute to a therapist who:<\/p>\n