Table 2.

Examples of the Countertransference and Possible Strategies for a Change

Type of Countertransference	Examples of Typical Thoughts	Emotional Reactions	Examples of Typical Behaviour	Possible Therapeutic Reactions
Moderate positive	I like him/her. He/she is a nice person. She works well with him/her. He/she handles the homework well.	Interest, relaxation	Cooperation, interest, appreciation, support, empathy	Continue to maintain a therapeutic relationship and therapy in a similar manner
Overprotective	He/she cannot make his/her own decisions. I have to help and advise him/her. It will be my fault if something happens to him/her.	Anxiety, fear, and lack of security.	Protection, reassurance and building patient control. Providing advice, providing helpers. It does not allow the patient to make independent decisions and doubts his/her abilities.	Clarify one’s own attitudes, context, background, influence on patient behaviour, advantages and disadvantages. Supervision can help and stop treatment directives and over-provision. Let the patient plan things independently. Otherwise, the patient should change therapists.
Admiring	That person is very intelligent, exceptional, talented, interesting, beautiful, original, etc.)	Looking up, pride, fascination, admiration,	The therapist does not make sufficient evaluations and does not perform systematic psychotherapy, and any non-compliance is downplayed. The therapist does not require homework from the patient, and he/she talks about the excellent qualities of the patient.	Clarify your behavior and attitudes, their impact on behavior and advantages and disadvantages. Supervision and personal therapy are recommended. Start behaving like other patients. If behaviour fails to change, opening a problem with the patient or changing therapists may help.
Apprehensive (anxious)	He can hurt me, make fun of me, humiliate me, or show me that I am worthless, stupid, etc.	Shame, anxiety, fear.	Silent speech, passivity, fear of saying something, leaving the management of the session to the patient, and uncertain behaviour.	Work on the therapist’s own self-confidence—suitable personal psychotherapy. Supervision required. If this does not work, the patient should change therapists.
Aggressive (invasive)	He/she is a psychopath, hysterical, and ignorant. He/she just wants benefits, and he/she has secondary profits. He/she does not deserve my care.	Anger, irritability	Moralizing, reprimanding, reproaching, and minimizing patient needs. There is no time for the patient.	Recognize our own aggressive attitudes and behaviors. Stop denying or rationalizing them. Clarify their background, influence on behaviour and advantages and disadvantages of therapy. Otherwise, the patient should change therapists. Supervision and personal therapy are always needed.
Competitive	I will not let him/her think he is better than me. What if he/she handles it better than I do? I have done more in my life than he/she has!	Tension and regret alternate with pride	He competes with the patient in his/her views. He/she convinces or argues about his/her truth—lack of support and empathy.	Work on self-esteem and self-confidence. Supervision and personal therapy are needed to process one’s own attitudes, origins and consequences. If necessary, transfer the patient to another therapist.
Distrustful	What does he/she have against me? What does he/she want from me? Does he/she have any hidden intentions?	Nervousness, tension, anger	Withdrawal. Only “formal cooperation with the patient. Lurking for hidden motives. Attempts to cancel therapy.	Work on self-confidence, self-confidence and self-acceptance. Supervision and personal therapy are needed to understand and develop attitudes, origins and effects. If necessary, have the patient change therapist.
Erotic	He/she is attractive, and it would be fine with him/her. They imagine how I am with him/her.	Desire, enchantment, “trance”, or depersonalization during a session	Excessive protective behaviour, flirting, fleeting touch. Frequent talking about sex, in the worst-case sex with the patient.	Stop streamlining lascivious behaviour. Stop him completely. Allow countertransference. Find supervision and personal therapy. Understand your own motives, context, background, influence on behaviour, and advantages and disadvantages of therapies. Otherwise, the patient should change therapists. Even after the change, the therapist should not have sex with the patient.
Arrogant, contemptuous	He is weak, stupid, hysterical, crazy, etc.). I am bored. I wish they did not bother me.	Contempt, anger, boredom, vanity	Providing simple advice. Trivialization of the patient’s problems and attitudes. Humiliation, ridicule. Lack of time for the patient, improper listening, interrupting the patient before he speaks	The need to work on relationships in one’s own personal therapy., Attend psychotherapeutic training, possibly new, if the experience from the previous ones is not enough to process one’s own attitudes, origin, and consequences. If necessary, transfer the patient to another therapist.