Managing Countertransference in Therapeutic Interactions with Traumatized Youth: Creating a Pathway to Making Discomfort Comfortable

ABSTRACT

Practitioners can find themselves experiencing counter transference without having the tools to adequately respond. As the need for the facility in working with trauma grows, the importance of acknowledging countertransference cannot be underscored enough. Via an overview of a single-case study in which an MSW student evaluated her practice utilizing aspects of a model for operationalizing countertransference, this article presents a model for managing and decreasing countertransference, and enhancing reflective skills. Implications for clinical education and supervision regarding transparency and authenticity in the discussions of countertransference when working with traumatized youth are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Trauma
• countertransference
• children
• adolescents
• clinical education
• supervision

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bonnie Alger

Bonnie Alger, MSW, LICSW is a Master of Social Work Graduate of the Certificate of Graduate Studies in Child and Adolescent Trauma Program at Rhode Island College. Bonnie is currently a child and family clinician with practice experience in family stabilization, crisis intervention and trauma-focused/informed treatment in the settings of inpatient psychiatry, child welfare, and home-/community-based therapy for children and families exposed to trauma.

Melinda Gushwa

Melinda Gushwa, PhD, LICSW is an Associate Professor and Director at Simmons University School of Social Work. Dr. Gushwa has more than 25 years of practice experience in child protection, employee assistance, pediatric medical social work, child welfare training, psychotherapy and clinical supervision. Her research focuses on child maltreatment. She teaches primarily clinical practice courses.