A Process Study of Psychotherapist’s Countertransference Experience Author:Pey-Ling Shieh, Li-Fei Wang
Research Article
The purpose of this study was to explore the nature and transformation of countertransference during psychotherapy. One female licensed psychologist, was interviewed. Her age about 30 to 35 years old, and she had about 5.5 years of clinical experience. In-depth interviews were conducted before, during and after her psychotherapy with a client. A total of fifteen interviews were conducted, ten of which took place during the psychotherapy process. Results revealed four domains of countertransference: 1) feelings or cognition toward the client, 2) roles and positions of the therapist in psychotherapy, 3) relationship and its maintenance, 4) distraction and associations. The results also indicated that from the initial stage to termination, countertransference transformed from a therapist-oriented focus to a client-oriented focus. Implications for practice and research are discussed.