What Is Abuse of Transference & Counter-Transference?

Transference and counter-transference occur when patients and therapists project unrelated feelings onto each other. This is a natural part of being human and dealing with difficult and complex emotions, and sometimes, it can be used beneficially to help patients in their therapy journey. However, it can also interfere with a patient’s therapy or even be used for abuse. What is the abuse of transference & counter-transference?

Therapy is a frequent tool for many individuals throughout the nation to recover and heal. Patients put significant trust in their therapist to help them through this process and respect ethical and legal boundaries.

As individuals got older, the percentage that had received treatment from a mental health professional in the past 12 months decreased. Among U.S. adults, those between the ages of 18 and 44 were the most likely to receive mental health treatment, with 11.6% reporting care. That percentage to 9.1% for those aged 45 to 65 and just 5.7% for those 65 or older.

When therapists exploit a patient’s vulnerabilities and transference or act on their own negative countertransference, it can lead to therapy abuse that harms the patient. This abuse can lead to official complaints and civil claims for malpractice and abuse. Therapists and counselors had 16 medical malpractice reports filed between 2020 and 2024 in Louisiana.

What Is Transference?

Transference occurs when a patient unknowingly redirects their feelings about another person in their life or their life experience onto their therapist. This transference can be positive or negative. Patient transference can include viewing their therapist as a parental figure, a sibling, another familial relation, a mentor figure, or a sexual partner.

How Can Transference Be Abused?

Transference can potentially have negative impacts on a patient’s therapy as it can interfere with their ability to heal. A therapist has to be aware of transference when it occurs and handle it appropriately, which may even include referring the patient to another therapist. Failing to do this may be considered negligent on the part of the therapist.

A therapist can also actively abuse the transference. If a patient looks up to the therapist as a mentor or parent, the therapist may exploit this for favors or money or may emotionally abuse the patient. Romantic or sexual transference can be used to emotionally or sexually abuse a patient.

What Is Countertransference?

Countertransference occurs when a therapist projects their feelings, emotions, and experiences onto their patient, often aided by the patient’s transference. Countertransference can also be positive or negative. A therapist may feel parental towards a client, identify with someone their patient knows, project their own grief onto a grieving client, or feel unreasonably frustrated with a client.

How Can Countertransference Be Abused?

Therapists must be aware of their own countertransference and deal with it appropriately. If their countertransference hinders the therapy and healing of their patient, this can constitute negligent care. Therapists may over- or under-engage with their patients in reaction to their countertransference, impacting the effectiveness of the therapy.

Therapists can also engage in abuse, including the blurring of professional boundaries, sexual relations, emotional or physical abuse, and other forms of malpractice and misconduct.

Are Transference and Countertransference Always Bad?

No, transference and countertransference are not always bad. Properly addressed, they can even be beneficial for a patient. It can provide insights for both therapists and patients in the patient’s therapy journey. Therapists can understand more about themselves for their own healing journey, separate from their patients. It is essential, however, that transference and countertransference are noted by the therapist to ensure it is handled properly.

What Can I Do About Transference and Countertransference?

As a patient, if you are unsure whether transference or countertransference is occurring and impacting your therapy, you can bring this up with your therapist, particularly if it is not intentional. This may benefit your therapy.

However, if your therapist is engaging in active abuse, it is important to take action to protect your well-being. This includes filing a complaint with the board, a civil claim, or criminal charges.

FAQs

Q: What Is an Example of Transference and Countertransference?

A: Transference occurs when clients redirect their feelings about another event or person onto the therapist. For example, a patient may project their emotions about a parent – such as resentment or a desire for approval – onto their therapist.

Countertransference occurs when a therapist’s feelings are redirected toward the patient in response to the patient’s transference. A therapist may feel parental towards a younger client or be affected by similarities in their and their patient’s lives.

Q: What Is Transference Abuse?

A: Transference abuse occurs when a therapist misuses and exploits the influence they have over their patient because of the patient’s transference. A patient transfers their feelings and need for a mentor or parent onto their therapist. A therapist may abuse this by asking for favors, engaging in emotional abuse, or other actions. A patient could also transfer sexual feelings, and a therapist may engage in sexual misconduct or abuse. There are many other forms of transference abuse.

Q: How Do You Know if a Therapist Is Engaging in Countertransference?

A: You may be able to determine whether your therapist is engaging in countertransference if:

• They are overly invested in your life emotionally
• They have an unreasonable dislike for you
• They share too much information about their personal life
• Your therapy is being forced in a specific direction
• There are insufficient professional boundaries between the two of you

Countertransference is a sign of misconduct when it interferes with your therapy or causes other harm.

Q: How Do Therapists Spot Transference?

A: Therapists can spot transference by looking for especially strong or unexpected emotions and behaviors that are atypical for the conversation. While unexpected reactions are normal, they may be a sign of transference when those emotions are directed at the therapist and the reaction doesn’t seem proportional to the statement or situation.

These emotions and behaviors can include anger, admiration, dependence, idealization, and other emotions. Transference can be useful or hindering to therapy depending on the circumstances.

Addressing Therapist Abuse or Negligence With Dedicated Legal Support

Countertransference and transference are normal responses within therapy, and can be managed carefully by both therapists and patients – and even used beneficially. However, they can also be used improperly. In some cases, transference and countertransference can lead to therapist abuse.

Sanchez Burke, LLC has more than 60 years of combined legal experience and can use this experience to your advantage. Contact our firm today to learn how to address therapist malpractice and abuse.