Anhad Brar

Countertransference paper

Ethics in Counseling

January 15 2019

My potential struggles with countertransference

Transference is the process by which clients project onto their therapists feelings or attitudes

they had towards significant people in their lives1. This is helpful to therapy because it allows

the counselor to better understand the context and situation of the client and his or her culture

in order to better reach a diagnosis or a form of treatment that can be used to help the client.

However, the issues in therapy arise when the opposite occurs. Countertransference is a

projection a counselor puts upon their client that distorts how the client reacts in therapy2. The

issue arises in countertransference when a counselor loses their objectivity. For example, if a

counselor were to lend money to their client, then they would be in a position to manipulate

the time set aside for therapy to help coerce or manipulate their client in a way for the funds to

be returned. Fortunately, there are methods for counselors to cope and overcome the threat

countertransference has on their practice such as therapy of their own or to meditate on their

self understanding of themselves. For someone such as myself, the biggest struggle I would

have to face is that I live in a suburban environment and must act within guidelines as a male

counselor. Should I be able to follow those ethical regulations, then I would be able to overcome

countertransference and deliver excellent quality care to my clients. The largest challenges I
would have to face are a need for validation from my clients, the desire for a dual relationship,

and the temptation to counsel by imposing my own values on another.

The first major hurdle against countertransference would be a need for validation. For

myself personally, I find that I often look to others to make me feel complete. In other words, I

work hard for the attention and admiration of others. While in some careers this would be a

boon, as a counselor it would be my bane. If I were to apply this to my clients, then I would be

fostering an unhealthy dependency on my client that would affect my objectivity in their

treatment. In addition, rather than me helping my client get better closure and understanding

of his or her issues, I would be using them to fuel my own desire for closure. This would be

ethically wrong because my job as the therapist is to provide a deeper understanding for my

clients, not for myself. As such the best method to overcome this dependence is for me to come

to terms with my condition through therapy of my own. If through the aid of another counselor,

I can be able to be comfortable with my needs so that I can ignore them in order to provide the

best therapy that I can.

Another major category for concern for myself is if I were to attempt to become more

than just one’s counselor and instead occupy a close relationship with one of my clients. This

role of acting in a professional role as well as a close role--such as a friend--is to also known as a

dual relationship. The issue is that if a counselor views a client as a friend rather than as a client,

it may impair needed objectivity and thus countertransference occurs. For example, depending

on the stage of friendship, the counselor may not be willing to explore the emotions and

feelings of the client in the hopes of not hurting them. Dual relationships make such situations
difficult as because of the dual role, the therapist has more to lose if he probes deeply and is

thus in higher risk in violating the counselor’s ethical standards. However, for me personally, I

am at a higher risk for the instances involved with dual relationships because as an introvert I

tend to prefer small groups and communities. In the worst case scenario, I would become so

dependant on a friend’s existence as a friend that I might push in too far and turn a boundary

crossing into a boundary violation. Fortunately, there are methods to fix such a perilous

situation. The first is that a counselor who takes a dual role should set clear boundaries with the

client. Another action is that I should try to closely monitor boundaries with clients. In addition,

one more remedy is to avoid isolation, such as that made by private practice, and to broaden

my own horizon. Ultimately, while this is a large obstacle for many other counselors, there are

methods out there to remedy the effects it may have on me and allow me to continue to give

excellent service to all of my clients, despite the dual relationship role.

Finally, the most difficult form of countertransference to overcome would be the

implementation and discussion of values with the client. I personally rule my life by my own

values. These values are also highlighted by own personal religion as a Sikh. However, when

taking on a client, I must be a professional and realize that my values are likely to be different

that someone else’s. As such in order to be able to provide therapy for someone else, I must

recognize this and understand someone else’s culture and how it would affect their life. To be

able to do this, I must engage in special training to understand and pick up on someone else’s

cultural values. At the same time, I should remember that while someone may be of a certain

culture, they are their own person; thus, I should do all that I can to not discriminate for

discrimination is a violation of the standard ethical code. In addition, I should avoid giving out
referrals for religious reasons--not that I would have a reason to do so--because doing so may

make the client feel abandoned. It is my duty to counsel with an open mind and not let my own

beliefs overwhelm my client; instead, I should focus on the client’s needs and his or her path to

fully understanding them. Therapy is not about imposing values; it is about respecting and

growing from them. If a counselor were to inject his own values into a client, then he is a

preacher and not a true counselor.

In the end, there will be the temptation to engage in the dastardly countransference. I

believe that while there is the temptation to enforce one’s own viewpoints on others, a

counselor’s very job itself is to avoid that tendency. The goal of counseling should be to the

client’s own therapy; anything else is an obstacle in the way of that goal. The most beneficial

way to overcome countransference is through one’s own therapy. With the aid of another

therapist, a counselor can explore his or her greatest insecurities. By doing so, he or she can

better come to terms with their shortcomings and give themselves better peace of mind so that

they do not project their own viewpoints on the client.

References

1 = Corey G., Corey M.S, Corecy C. 2018 Issues and Ethics in the Helping Profession. Cengage
Learning, 47

2 = Corey G., Corey M.S, Corecy C. 2018 Issues and Ethics in the Helping Profession. Cengage

Learning, 49