Have you ever been asked on a job interview to think of two clients – one you liked and one you disliked and how you dealt with the counter-transference issues that arose for you?
To address this query, I consulted with two experienced clinicians: Cathy Hanville, LCSW @chanvillelcsw and Laurel Wiig, Ph.D. @therapy4help.
As a refresher, countertransference refers to the feelings that get evoked in the therapeutic relationship from the therapist toward the client.
During sessions, a clinician is likely to feel a combination of both subjective [coming from the clinician’s own issues] and objective countertransference [coming from the client].
Subjective countertransference [the type the interviewer is referring to in the above question] takes place when unresolved issues on the part of the therapist are stirred up by the work with the client in some manner.
These feelings, in turn, make it difficult for the therapist to be objective in working with the client because she may be overwhelmed with her emotions toward the client and toward whomever the client reminds her of in her own life.
Objective countertransference refers to the emotions that a client induces in the therapist that reveal important information about the client’s own feelings and transferences. The client is likely to induce these same feelings in most other people with whom he/she interacts.
The Question Is How Best to Address Countertransference…
Cathy Hanville, LCSW, whom you may remember from The Zen of Online Marketing for Private Practice, gives some specific examples:
I think I would disclose something about the clients that trigger me (for me this would be some narcissistic clients) but not why they trigger me.
So I would say that sometimes I have challenges with narcissistic clients but I recognize this and consult with a colleague/supervisor when working with these clients.
I would be sure to make sure that for whatever the issue/client trigger is I didn’t sound judgmental.
For example many people have issues working with substance abusers but you don’t want to sound like you don’t have empathy for those clients.
To me, the positive countertransferance question is really about the potential employer knowing you have boundaries.
So with clients I really like I might have a tendency to be overly helpful.
I would explain knowing that about myself I would be thinking about whether I am talking to much in session or being to helpful and not allowing enough space for emotions.
So in short, I would answer the questions in a way that let them know I had good boundaries and self awareness but wasn’t judgmental.
I would also be cautious about overdisclosing. I would evaluate ahead of time if it might be an advantage to dislcose certain things or not.
I have known jobs that wanted people that had personal recovery experience.
Beyond that personally I would want to err on the side of less disclosure rather than more.
I feel overdiscloure can be a red flag for interviewers thinking you don’t have your personal issues in check.
Laurel Wiig, Ph.D., whom you may remember from her interview about Family/Couples Therapy – Improving Relationships offers the following guidance:
I would keep in mind that it is for the sole purpose of gaining a mental health position. Instead of concentrating on [providing] the examples, I would concentrate more on;
- Analyzing and defining the concept of transference and counter-transference;
- An analytical understanding of your own personal awareness regarding each client;
- What you have learned from each scenario and;
- How to use that experience to be a better clinician.
As a clinician, it is important to show growth from our experiences. Clinicians need to be life-long learners.
Walsh (2002) shares the following examples to model self-awareness w/supervisees:
- My family of origin did not share feelings openly. I like clients whom I can see for long periods because I can develop close relationships with them. This can be problematic, however, as it may prompt me to resist a client’s desire for a superficial relationship, or to resist ending our work when appropriate.
- I do not need to see rapid progress in a client. I enjoy the relationship by itself and feel rewarded by a client’s incremental improvements. But this can also be a problem if I do not maintain reasonable change expectations.
- I enjoy working with clients who are considered by my peers to have a limited capacity for change. I like the challenge of proving them wrong. Of course, sometimes my colleagues have good judgment about the limitations of clients, and my own hopes can be unrealistic.
Now, based upon what Cathy, Laurel and Walsh have illustrated, what examples would you share with prospective supervisors based upon the experiences you have had with clients? What thoughts and/or suggestions would you like to add?
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References:
Rathe, E. L. (2008). Transference and countertransference from a modern psychoanalytic perspective.
Walsh, J. (2003). Supervising the countertransference reactions of case managers. The Clinical Supervisor, 21(2), 129-144.
Image: Cartoon courtesy of www.phdcomics.com
