Countertransference as communication: Intersubjectivity in the treatment of a traumatized adolescent patient

Abstract

This paper explores important issues associated with the twin themes of dynamic adolescent psychotherapy and countertrans‐ference. Following a review of the burgeoning treatment literature on countertransference and the unique theoretical and clinical contributions of classical and totalistic orientations, contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on intersubjectivity are discussed. The neglect of countertransference in the child and adolescent treatment literature is examined, and unique countertransference issues linked to this population are described. Finally, a detailed clinical illustration involving a severely traumatized late adolescent is provided as a means of highlighting certain concepts derived from intersubjectivity theory, with particular attention to the transference‐countertransference matrix.

Notes

Originally presented to the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council as part of a panel on “Core Issues and ‘Tuning In’ in Adolescent Treatment,” East Lansing, Michigan, November 15, 1998.

Jerrold R. Brandell, Ph.D., BCD, is Professor, Wayne State University School of Social Work, Detroit, Michigan, and Editor, Psychoanalytic Social Work. He maintains a part‐time private practice in the Ann Arbor area, and is an advanced candidate in psychoanalysis at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council.