Countertransference inside and outside sessions: the impact of
Countertransference on the therapist’s post-session elaboration
Abstract
Objective: Countertransference (CT) research has demonstrated
the importance of CT management for successful therapy outcomes. Over
time, CT research began to take this aspect more and more seriously and
expanded the concept of CT management to include aspects, such as stable
characteristics of the therapist and his or her theoretical model, that
do not necessarily pertain the single session (e.g., therapist’s
self-integration, theoretical framework). In this study we further
expand the boundaries of CT management by investigating the relationship
between CT experienced within sessions and the elaborative activity
taking place between sessions. Method: Twenty-three in-training
psychotherapists were asked to rate their emotional reactions through
the Therapist Response Questionnaire at the end of 69 counselling
sessions and to fill the Post Session Therapist Questionnaire, an
instrument assessing three relevant reflexivity activities in the
post-session time. The 69 sessions were also recorded, transcribed and
evaluated by three external raters, who applied the Countertransference
Behavior Measure. Results: Results showed significant
correlations between some dimensions of CT experienced in the session
and some dimensions of the therapist’ post-session working through.
Conclusion: Results highlighted the centrality of the
reflexivity processes that therapists put in place between sessions and
not only within the session to increase awareness of their
countertransference, a prerequisite for its handling during the session
for therapeutic purposes.