Managing Transference and Countertransference in Cognitive Behavioral Supervision: Theoretical Framework and Clinical Application

Dysfunctional patterns, beliefs, and assumptions that affect a patient’s perception of other people often affect their perceptions and behaviours towards the therapist. This tendency has been traditionally called transference for its psychoanalytical roots and presents an important factor to monitor and process. In supervision, it is important to put the patient’s transference in the context of the conceptualization of the case. Countertransference occurs when the therapist responds complementary to the patient’s transference based on their own dysfunctional beliefs or assumptions. Transference and countertransference provide useful insights into the inner world of the patient, therapist, and supervisor. Guided discovery is one of the most common approaches used by a supervisor and a supervisee to map all types and directions of transference and countertransference. Other options to map transference and countertransference are imagery and role-playing techniques.