Countertransference management

The empirical literature on countertransference (CT) and, in particular, CT management as they relate to immediate, proximate, and distal treatment outcomes, is examined. Although there is a paucity of research connecting CT and its management to distal outcomes, the existing empirical literature strongly supports the idea that the acting out of CT hinders therapy, whereas effective CT management aids treatment. A theory of five factors that are central to CT management has received provisional empirical support and is described here. These factors are self-insight, self-integration, anxiety management, empathy, and conceptualizing ability. Further research is needed on the relation of CT and its management to distal outcomes, and on how CT management operates and affects treatment.