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Mental health chatbots (MHCBs) designed to support individuals in coping with mental health issues are rapidly advancing. Currently, these MHCBs are predominantly used in commercial rather than clinical contexts, but this might change soon. The question is whether this use is ethically desirable. This paper addresses a critical yet understudied concern: assuming that MHCBs cannot have genuine emotions, how this assumption may affect psychotherapy, and consequently the quality of treatment outcomes. We argue that if MHCBs lack emotions, they cannot have genuine (affective) empathy or utilise countertransference. Consequently, this gives reason to worry that MHCBs are (a) more liable to harm and (b) less likely to benefit patients than human therapists. We discuss some responses to this worry and conclude that further empirical research is necessary to determine whether these worries are valid. We conclude that, even if these worries are valid, it does not mean that we should never use MHCBs. By discussing the broader ethical debate on the clinical use of chatbots, we point towards how further research can help us establish ethical boundaries for how we should use mental health chatbots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the socio-political instability that exists in Ukraine, the problem of stress resistance among psychological service professionals has emerged. The aim of the research is to analyse the professional activity of psychologists in Ukraine at the present stage under the influence of stress factors. The following methods were used to study the nature of stress and its impact on the personality of a psychologist: analytical and synthesis methods, statistical, comparative, survey and interpretive methods. The research results theoretically reveal the peculiarities of the concept of stress, the stages of stress development, and identify the main stressors of professional activity. An empirical study of the stress resistance of psychologists was conducted. The influence of stress on the quality of psychological care was determined. Professional qualities in the psychologist's personality structure were identified, the phenomenon of professional exhaustion, the role of countertransference in counselling were studied, the importance of the code of ethics for psychologists and its violation in the course of practice were revealed. The importance of interventions and supervision as a means of psychological support for the professional development of psychologists was investigated, and statistical indicators of the level of stress were analysed. The practical significance of the research is determined by the current coverage of the problem of the impact of stress on the professional activity of a psychologist and in the creation of effective ways of emotional self-preservation and development of stress resistance, which provide the search for their resources for self-healing and effective work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive countertransference is nontherapeutic, whereas responsive countertransference is an integral aspect of psychotherapy when the psychotherapist is attuned to the client's affect and needs. Personal examples are used to illustrate the concepts of responsive and reactive countertransference. Awareness and use of each form of countertransference is essential. The psychotherapist's stance of presence and involvement delineates the necessary elements of an effective relationally focused psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The negative effects of the unmanaged countertransference on session outcome are well documented, but little is known about the impact of countertransference reactions on the in-session elaboration processes. This study investigated the impact of countertransference reactions on the quality of client and counsellor's in-session work as revealed by their linguistic style, assuming that linguistic style shows the quality of speakers' referential process, i.e., their ability to translate into words and reorganize the client's emotional experiences. Methods: To test this hypothesis twenty-three in-training psychotherapists were asked to rate their emotional reactions through the Therapist Response Questionnaire at the end of the first three counselling sessions with one of their clients, for a total of 69 sessions. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and evaluated by three external observers who applied the Countertransference Behavior Measure. Finally, the transcripts were analyzed by applying the computerized linguistic measures of the referential process. Results: We found that countertransference reactions were associated to clients' specific speech styles characterized by a lower referential process especially in the case of dominant, helpless, overwhelmed, and parental countertransference reactions. For the counsellors, we observed a linguistic style marked by emotional distancing. Conclusions: This study confirms that linguistic indicators can capture the impact of countertransference reactions, which shows to hinder the emotional elaboration in the counselling sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We all have narcissism, but in some cases, the perception of narcissism becomes extreme and pathological. Systematic research has shown that there are three subtypes typical of narcissistic personality disorder: the grandiose/oblivious, the vulnerable/hypervigilant, and the high-functioning subtype. Both biological and psychological factors are at work, but the true cause of pathological narcissism has not been established. The psychotherapy of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is complicated and often frustrating because of the difficulty in engaging a person with narcissistic personality disorder in a psychotherapeutic process. Suicide risk is not rare in patients with narcissism, particularly in the context of severe narcissistic injury, where the patient feels shamed and/or vilified. In conclusion, narcissistic patients are difficult to treat, but the risk of suicide makes it imperative for clinicians to stay involved in the treatment and assist the patient in understanding their vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patient suicidality is a frequently experienced topic for psychotherapists. Especially adolescents with borderline personality pathology (BPP) often exhibit suicidal tendencies. Previous research which examined therapists' countertransference towards suicidal patients suggested that therapists are negatively affected and distressed by them. We hypothesize that this emotional response of the therapists is related to specific sessions in which suicidality came up as a topic. Accordingly, the objective of this study consists in examining therapists' emotional state on a session level of analysis. Methods: The sample consisted of N = 21 adolescents (age 13–19 years) with BPD or subthreshold BPD. Therapists' emotional states were measured in n = 418 sessions using the Session Evaluation Questionnaire. Principal component analysis was used to reduce dimensionality of the therapist response. The emotional states were compared depending on whether suicidality has been addressed in the session (SS) or not (NSS). Results: Two components could be identified. Firstly, therapists were more aroused, excited, afraid, angry and uncertain after SS than after NSS. Secondly, therapists were more aroused, excited, definite and pleased after SS than after NSS. Discussion: Suicidality does not always have to be a burden for therapists: Both a "distress" and an "eustress" component occur in this context from which the latter is supposed to help clinicians master a difficult situation. Since countertransference feelings are often not fully conscious, it is necessary to do research on therapists' emotional states after sessions in which suicidality is addressed. This is crucial to both prevent the therapeutic process from being endangered and preserve clinicians' mental health. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the idea that in the clinic of limit cases, the analyst needs to allow him/herself to contact his/her countertransference, in order to use it to produce a technique and adapt him/herself to the clinical case, we ask ourselves if our transmission processes in psychoanalysis, especially supervision, are prepared for this reality. For this, we seek to understand how supervision used to be thought over the time, from the Hungarian School of Psychoanalysis throughout the contemporary authors, who work with phenomena such as reflection process and parallel process. In this way, we come to psychoanalysts who bet that, through the regression in supervision, connected to the case's point of identification, it would be possible to produce some more empathic place for the analyst in relation to his/her patient. Finally, we show a quick example of clinical supervision to illustrate a beginning of understanding regarding the presented proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This exploratory study locates countertransference as a pan-theoretical concept, comprising of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors expressed or experienced by therapists toward their patients. It aims to understand the patterns of countertransference experienced in working with borderline personality disorder. Associations between countertransference reactions and therapist-related variables of experience and mentalization ability are also examined. Method: Psychotherapists (n = 117) completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire to assess patterns of countertransference experienced with a representative patient diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. They also completed a measure of mentalization ability that examined self-related mentalization, other-related mentalization, and motivation to mentalize. Results: The profile of responses across eight countertransference dimensions is discussed, with the most strongly endorsed reactions being positive/satisfying, parental/protective, and helpless/inadequate. More experienced therapists reported less negative countertransference reactions in select dimensions. Therapists' self-reported ability to reflect on and understand their own mental states was negatively correlated with a range of difficult countertransference experiences. There were few associations between their ability to make sense of others' mental states, the motivation to mentalize, and the strength of their countertransference reactions. Conclusion: The implications for countertransference management as well as therapist training and development are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes schizoid phenomena and how the concept of relational needs is used in integrative psychotherapy. Drawing from client work, the author explores some of the unique qualities involved in offering a contact-oriented, relational form of therapy with an individual who uses the schizoid process of a social façade to protect the vital and vulnerable self. Relational needs are discussed in terms of transference, countertransference, and schizoid phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the concept of psychogenic autism that has been proposed by Frances Tustin. Her work centers on the dynamics of this serious illness with an emphasis on the infant’s experiences in the earliest connection with the mother. Tustin writes that the sudden and violent disruption of the skin-to-skin maternal/infant contact gives rise to pathological attempts to heal this separation; namely, through the infant’s shutting out contact with the external emotional world. An extensive clinical vignette is offered to illustrate how these dynamics are manifest clinically and the author’s efforts to establish a meaningful connection with a young patient. Transference and countertransference reactions are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical hypnosis, the transference relationship, present in neurotic patients, becomes especially important in a psychotherapeutic process. It is pertinent that from the initial time of psychoanalysis, and throughout, the links are established either indirectly or directly. This was observed when working within a hypnotherapeutic orientation. The phenomenon of transference appears systematically, and the differences lie in the management of this situation. It is in the way of working, which distinguishes the hypnotherapist, who, by noticing in the "here and now", works with the orientation of therapy under clinical hypnosis, is never applying clinical methodology only to his patient. He observes it in its entirety, and from there, he can perceive a change in color, a repeated gesture, or a muscular contracture to interpret transference elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Feeling Word Checklist (FWC) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess therapists' countertransference (CT) feelings. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a brief, 12-item version of the Feeling Word Checklist (FWC-BV). The second aim was to validate the factor structure by examining the associations between the FWC-BV factors, patients' personality pathology and therapeutic alliance (TA). Methods: Therapists at 13 different outpatient units within the Norwegian Network of Personality Disorders participated, and the study includes therapies for a large sample of patients (N = 2425) with personality pathology. Over a period of 2.5 years, therapists completed the FWC-BV for each patient in therapy every 6 months. Statistical methods included exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis. Internal consistency was estimated using Mc Donald's coefficient Omega (ωt). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV – Axis II (SCID II) and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) were used as diagnostic instruments, and patient-rated TA was assessed using the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-SR). Results: Factor analyses revealed three clinically meaningful factors: Inadequate, Idealised and Confident. These factors had acceptable psychometric properties. Most notably, a number of borderline PD criteria correlated positively with the factors Inadequate and Idealised, and negatively with the factor Confident. All the factors correlated significantly with at least one of the WAI-SR subscales. Conclusions: The FWC-BV measures three clinically meaningful aspects of therapists' CT feelings. This brief version of the FWC seems satisfactory for use in further research and in clinical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the psychotherapy methods that were effective with a client who unconsciously relied on the schizoid process of splitting of the self. Harry Guntrip's writings about the schizoid compromise and Donald Winnicott's descriptions of the true self and the false self are discussed. Alternative concepts--the vital and vulnerable self and the social self--are presented along with the methods of supported withdrawal and therapeutic description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Rating Scale for Countertransference (RSCT) - originally, Escala para Avaliação de Contratransferência (EACT) - is a self-administered instrument comprising questions that assess 23 feelings (divided into three blocs, closeness, distance, and indifference) that access conscious countertransferential emotions and sentiments. This paper describes the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the RSCT into American English. Methods: This study employed the guidelines proposed by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Task Force for Translation and Cultural Adaptation which define 10 steps for translation and cross-cultural adaptation of self-report instruments. Additionally, semantic equivalence tools were employed to select the final versions of terms used. The author of the RSCT gave permission for translation and took part in the process. The instrument is available for use free of charge. Results: Analysis of the back-translation showed that just seven of the 23 terms needed to be adjusted to arrive at the final version in American English. Conclusions: This study applied rigorous standards to construct a version of the RSCT in American English. This version of the RSCT translated and adapted into American English should be of great use for accessing and researching countertransferential feelings that are part of psychodynamic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Works of art can due to their abstractness mirror expectations toward certain groups. Often, subliminal fears and conceptions of wishes shape these expectations. Especially in crime movies, a curious doubling in the underlying demands on psychologists appears: At the same time, they should reconstruct what has happened, should solve the problem, as well as to convict the perpetrator and save and protect future victims. The characters lead to conclusions on the basic tensions apparent in the often unconsidered picture of the task and the efficiency of the work of psychologists. The examination of several characters in television-series and films (from Dr. Eddie »Fitz« Fitzgerald and Dr. Hannibal Lecter to Dr. Helen Hudson) introduces the topic. A close-reading of the character Dr. Vera Bergman in the German Tatort Heimatfront (homefront) reviews the results and leads to more general conclusions. As a theoretical base, I choose narratological accounts, countertransference-analysis as defined in literary theory by Carl Pietzcker and Melvin Lerner's »Belief in a just World«. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between countertransference (CT) and therapeutic alliance (TA) during the early stages of psychodynamic psychotherapy. A secondary objective is to assess associations between CT and variables related to therapist and patient and between CT and other patient variables investigated, which were defense mechanisms, symptomology and functionality. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 30 patients treated by 17 different therapists at the psychotherapy clinics of two psychiatry centers. Assessments of each patient-therapist pair were conducted between their fourth and 10th sessions. Results: The CT distance domain exhibited a moderate negative correlation with TA, particularly its sub-dimension representing the patient's capacity for work in therapy. Moderate positive correlations were observed between CT distance and the splitting defense mechanism and between CT closeness and suppression defenses, in addition to moderate negative correlation between CT indifference and the fantasy defense mechanism. Another finding was higher scores for CT indifference in association with socioeconomic classes D and E. Conclusions: The quality of CT may provide a source of information about TA. A high degree of CT distance represents a low level of TA, particularly with relation to the patient's working capacity, although presence of the splitting defense mechanism can affect CT, to the extent that it constitutes a confounding variable. The concept of CT is useful to psychotherapists, providing a source of information about the patient's internal world and about certain elements of therapy, such as the quality of TA, which is important for good treatment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Countertransference, the emotional reaction of a psychotherapist toward a patient, is an important technical element of psychotherapy. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and describe the main findings of studies that evaluated countertransference in adult psychotherapy. Methods: A search was conducted of the databases Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Knowledge to retrieve data published in any language at any time. Results: Of the 1,081 studies found in the databases, 25 were selected. Most were about psychodynamic psychotherapy, and results indicated that positive countertransference, that is, feelings of closeness to the patient, are associated with positive outcomes, such as symptom improvement and good therapeutic alliance. Conclusions: Although few studies were found in the literature, countertransference seems to be an important source of knowledge about several aspects, such as treatment outcomes, attachment style, therapeutic alliance, patient symptoms and diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on pivotal concepts of psychoanalytic practice and theory, applied to a single case study to create new meanings. Drawing from the concepts of transference, countertransference, and projective identification, the author presents the notion that the researcher's subjective reactions are created and induced by the subject of study precisely because this is one, and sometimes the only way available to the subject to communicate something that is out of its full awareness. In essence, some unconscious material can be expressed nonverbally by the subject by means of provoking visceral and bodily reactions in the researcher, or in some cases, psychic imagery such as dreams or fantasies. The material can be meaningfully interpreted by the researcher by receiving, containing, and sorting through these inchoate emotional reactions within self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fieldwork is one of the important methods in educational, social, and organisational research. In fieldwork, the researcher takes residence for a shorter or longer period amongst the subjects and settings to be studied. The aim of this is to study the culture of people: how people seem to make sense of their lives and which moral, professional, and ethical values seem to guide their behaviour and attitudes. In fieldwork, the researcher has to balance participation and observation in her attempts at representation. Consequently, the researcher's academic and life-historical subjectivity are important filters for fieldwork. In general, fieldwork can be understood as processes where field reports and field analysis are determined by how the researcher interacts with and experiences the field, the events and informants in it, and how she subsequently develops an ethnography. However, fieldwork is also subjected to psychodynamic processes. In this article, I draw upon a number of research inquiries to illustrate how psychodynamic processes influence research processes: data production, research questions and methodology, relations to informants, as well as interpretation and analysis. I further investigate through a case study how the psychoanalytical concepts of "transference" and "institutional transference" can provide insight into the dynamics of efficiency and democracy at a number of Danish human service organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major theme in recent psychoanalytic thinking concerns the use of therapist subjectivity, especially "countertransference," in understanding patients. This thinking converges with and expands developments in qualitative research regarding the use of researcher subjectivity as a tool to understanding, especially but not exclusively in observational and interview-based studies. Psychodynamic or psychoanalytic approaches to research add an emphasis on unconscious motivational processes in both researchers and research participants that impact research experience and data. Building upon Anglo-Saxon and continental traditions, this special issue provides examples of the use of researcher subjectivity, informed by psychoanalytic thinking, in expanding research understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the construct validity of the Assessment of Countertransference Scale (ACS) in the context of the trauma care, through the identification of the underlying latent constructs of the measured items and their homogeneity. Methods: ACS assesses 23 feelings of CT in three factors: closeness, rejection and indifference. ACS was applied to 50 residents in psychiatry after the first appointment with 131 victims of trauma consecutively selected during 4 years. ACS was analyzed by exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis, internal consistence and convergent-discriminant validity. Results: In spite of the fact that closeness items obtained the highest scores, the EFA showed that the factor rejection (24% of variance, α = 0.88) presented a more consistent intercorrelation of the items, followed by closeness (15% of variance, α = 0.82) and, a distinct factor, sadness (9% of variance, α = 0.72). Thus, a modified version was proposed. In the comparison between the original and the proposed version, CFA detected better goodness-of-fit indexes for the proposed version (GFI = 0.797, TLI = 0.867, CFI = 0.885 vs. GFI = 0.824, TLI = 0.904, CFI = 0.918). Conclusions: ACS is a promising instrument for assessing CT feelings, making it valid to access during the care of trauma victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify demographic and clinical correlates associated with therapists' countertransference feelings on the first visit of women victims of sexual violence. Method: Forty patients were seen by 26 therapists, during 2 consecutive years, at the Center for the Study and Treatment of Psychological Trauma, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. After the first visit with the patient, the therapist completed the Assessment of Countertransference Scale and the patient was evaluated with the Davidson Trauma Scale, the Standardized Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Defense Style Questionnaire. Results: The therapists showed a predominance of feelings of closeness (Mean = 5.42, SD = 1.25) in relation to the feelings of indifference (Mean = 1.82, SD = 1.22) and distance (Mean = 1.57, SD = 1.08) [p < 0.001]. Multivariate analyses did not present significant associations between countertransference feelings and clinical characteristics of patients. The gender of the therapists did not influence the pattern of countertransference feelings. In the subgroup of female therapists, we detected an inverse correlation between a higher probability of patients' personality disorders and feelings of closeness in the therapists. Conclusion: We did not detect a differential pattern of countertransference feelings associated with specific clinical characteristics. Therapists of both genders presented a similar pattern of feelings of empathy towards women victims of sexual violence, although the gender of the therapist may moderate the feelings evoked by patients with increased likelihood of personality disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to review the evolution of the concept of countertransference, its clinical utility and unique features in the child and adolescent psychiatry setting. Methods: This article employs a selective literature review of papers relevant to countertransference in general and in child and adolescent psychiatry. Results: Reviewed papers indicate that countertransference is a ubiquitous phenomenon in child and adolescent psychiatric practice and that it can have important clinical implications. Conclusions: Recognition and management of countertransference is a crucial skill in child and adolescent psychiatry. Recommendations are made regarding its incorporation in residency training and psychiatric practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eros is like a huge spark that ignites our passion and then confronts us with the problem of living out this fire in ordinary space and time. What do we each know of this spark, this flame? Who or what was it’s object? Where have we felt this force for unity in ourselves, with another person, with life itself? Where are we unlived erotically? Where are the chinks in our erotic life? In focusing on the erotic in clinical work, we usually begin with the analysand’s transference. I want to explore eros in the life of the analyst for our relation to eros influences the clinical work we do. When eros is constellated, two possibilities of relationship present themselves: to an actual other who must be reckoned with as real, and to a psychic content, equally real, which we do not invent or control. How do we experience this electricity? What is our desire like? What does it take us back to, and toward what unseen purpose does it propel us? Eros brings with it a sense of purpose, of going somewhere important, something that enlists body, soul, and spirit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary describes my observations as the clinical supervisor of Dr. Hector Garcia's (2008) second, psychodynamic phase of therapy with "Bridget," which followed a first phase of successful cognitive-behavioral treatment for specific, obsessive-compulsive symptoms with religious content. The second treatment phase focused on less structured issues such as, in Dr. Garcia's words, "the qualities and patterns of past relationships with men, her current social network, and dynamics within her family of origin." This case raises a number of complex and highly important, general issues. The ones I have chosen to discuss are: (a) the meaning of "compulsive" versus "healthy" prayer; (b) the sequencing of the theoretical shift from cognitive-behavioral to psychodynamic therapy; (c) the utilization of countertransference phenomena and the "real" relationship in psychotherapy; and (d) the impact of eclecticism in the training of beginning therapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countertransference is an important dimension of the therapeutic alliance between care providers and patients. The Feeling Checklist (FC) is a self-report questionnaire for the assessment of countertransference by hospital staff toward patients. The FC was translated from English into Japanese and its factor structure, reliability, and validity in the Japanese version (FC-J) were examined. A total of 281 Japanese psychiatric nurses were tested with the FC-J. All nurses were primarily involved in provision of psychiatric care. Principal-component factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed to identify the potential components of the FC-J. In a factor analysis of the FC-J, seven factors were extracted. The five subscales that were determined and labeled included Reject, Distance, Helpfulness, Closeness, and Involvement, which collectively accounted for 56.0% of the variance. Cronbach’s α, a measure of internal consistency, for individual subscales was 0.833 for Reject, 0.763 for Distance, 0.768 for Helpfulness, 0.617 for Closeness, and 0.663 for Involvement. Notably, there was a significant correlation between the FC-J and the Nurse Attitude Scale ( P < 0.0001). Moreover, one-wayanova was performed with each FC-J subscale to examine differences among psychiatric diagnoses in the study sample. A significant difference was found for Involvement ( P < 0.001), with the total score on Involvement being the highest in the personality disorder group. These results are considered to verify the reliability and validity of the FC-J as a scale to measure countertransference among Japanese care providers. The use of this scale allows individual care providers to recognize and be cognizant of their own countertransference objectively and thereby contributes to improve the relationship between patients and care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On November 6, 2002, Dr. James Fosshage delivered the following talk at a Clinical Training Conference held at the Blanton-Peale Institute. The Clinical Training Conference at Blanton-Peale provides experiential and conceptual resources to support the therapist-in-training in the context of his/her professional identity. The training conference is attended by candidates of all phases of the Psychoanalytic Program, the Pastoral Psychotherapy Program, and the Marriage and Family Program, as well as faculty members, administrators, staff, and interns of the institute. The residents were asked to review three articles written by Dr. Fosshage in preparation for his presentation: “Toward Reconceptualising Transference: Theoretical and Clinical Considerations,” International Journal of Psycho-Analysis (1994) 75 (2): 265–280; “Countertransference as the Analyst's Experience of the Analysand: Influence of Listening Perspectives,” Psychoanalytic Psychology (1995) 12 (3): 375–391; and “Listening/Experiencing Perspectives and the Quest for a Facilitating Responsiveness,” Conversations in Self Psychology: Progress in Self Psychology , (1997) 13: 33–55. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The countertransference of the therapist is crucial in psychotherapy. Although the concept of countertransference arose from psychoanalysis, it is considered a construct that occurs in any type of therapy. Objectives: The purpose of this review is to examinate the relationship between personality disorders and countertransference. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed on PubMed using the keywords "personality disorder" and "countertransference". All papers published between 2015 and 2020 were evaluated. Results: There were significant relationships between and patients' personality disorders and patterns of countertransference. Criticized countertransference were associated with paranoid and antisocial personality disorders. Borderline personality disorders was related to helpless, overwhelmed, and overinvolved responses. Narcissistic and schizotypal personality disorders were associated with disengaged therapist responeses. Helpless countertransference was associated with schizoid personality disorders. Avoidant personality disorders was associated with postive responses. Special/overinvolved therapist responses were associated with obsessivecompulsive personality disorders Conclusions: Several studies suggest that therapists' emotional responses occur consistently in any kind of therapy. Moreover, specific personality disorders are associated with concrete emotional responses. Therefore, therapists can make therapeutic and diagnostic use of their conuntertransference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Understanding the cultural experiences of both the patient and the clinician is a vital part of the therapeutic alliance and can help clinicians better understand their own cultural countertransference. We discuss a case of a 35-year-old Albanian man with alcohol-use disorder who presented to the emergency room of an American urban hospital following a highly lethal suicide attempt. Two psychiatry trainees provided treatment to the patient at different points during his admission, one who shared the cultural background of the patient (intracultural) and the other who did not (intercultural). We examined the impact of both intracultural and intercultural countertransference on the psychiatrist and the patient in an academic setting. Objectives: To examine the differences between intercultural and intracultural countertransference in the evaluation, understanding, and treatment of a patient following a suicide attempt. Methods: This is a case report and description of the cultural countertransference of two clinicians. Results: Through both individual and group supervision, the psychiatry trainees were given a space to explore their intercultural and intracultural countertransference, highlighting the patient's perceived guardedness and disengagement with the therapeutic process, as well as denial of the severity of his illness. The trainees were able to process how their own personal understandings of stigma, cultural gender roles, and self-disclosure in the Albanian community contributed to their countertransference. Conclusions: Through an individual case study, we highlight the importance of incorporating discussions of both intercultural and intracultural countertransference into academic psychiatric supervision. Understanding the powerful role of cultural countertransference is necessary in the delivery of culturally competent care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]