Transference and countertransference: Training for mental health professionals

Facilitator: Natalie Zlodre Choy, MSW, RSW.

Description: Trauma that is unhealed, unresolved and unintegrated into a healthy balance within the self has the potential to be repeated, reenacted, acted out, projected or externalized in relationships. 

Working with human suffering on a daily basis and being sensitive to the despair, frustration and fear embodied in clients is an integral aspect of the work by mental health professionals. In order to be effective, professionals need to be aware of the clients and their own unconscious self-protective reactions (transference/projection). A professional who is unaware or unresponsive to countertransference experiences can be thrown into a cycle of reactivity – both within the specific client dynamic and within one’s own psyche.

In this webinar, we will understand the core features of the metapsychological phenomena: transference, projection, projective identification, and countertransference. We will use real case examples from direct service settings to illustrate the complex dialectic of balancing empathic attunement with experiences of empathic strain.

Learning objectives:

• Understand key self-protective strategies that clients use (transference, projection).
• Understand key self-protective strategies that professionals use (countertransference).
• Apply skills in “catching,” repairing and integrating the metapsychological phenomena.

Register now to strengthen your ability to hold space without absorbing the weight.

SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute offers training and education for professionals to advance mental health care – our goal is to improve client outcomes and building capacity, together. Find training to support your professional development at www.sickkidscmhlearning.ca and reserve your spot today! Don't forget to use code OPA20 to save 20% off your registration fees.