Name
E10 - Ethics Session: Countertransference and the Boundary of Self (1.50 CEs)
Date & Time
Thursday, August 17, 2017, 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Thomas Baier
Description
The therapeutic relationship is not an ordinary social exchange. Instead, the key differentials are ultimately aligned around issues of power and control. Projective identification is a two-way street. But, it's a two-way street under the control of one traffic cop: you. Yet who among us has not been trapped by the emotional web that is often a part of the therapeutic relationship? Issues of intimacy, love, hate, over involvement and withdrawal—all of these elements take a toll on the counselor whose job it is to somehow manage all of these elements while creating an environment that is conducive to meeting the client's needs and goals while in treatment. This session explores the use of clinical self while establishing and maintaining appropriate boundaries thus assuring that the client benefits maximally in the therapeutic exchange while the counselor maintains a healthy psychic distance as a means of assuring objectivity and avoiding burnout.
 
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
  • Identify the personal experience of countertransference.
  • Recognize the usefulness of countertransference.
  • Explain the necessity of clinical boundaries.