Countertransference | Philippe Jacquet

Two people in the room — countertransference, supervision, and the patient as teacher

Jung observed that when an analyst sits with a patient, there are not one but two people in therapy. The patient is doing the work of their analysis. The analyst is doing something too — feelings arise, thoughts emerge uninvited, reactions occur that have no obvious explanation in what was just said.

What is Countertransference?

Countertransference refers to the therapist’s emotional, psychological, and somatic responses to the client — including feelings, images, and physical sensations that arise during the work. Originally seen as a contaminant to be controlled, countertransference is now understood in depth psychotherapy as a primary source of clinical information.