EMBRACING COUNTERTRANSFERENCE CLINICAL CONSULTATION

“It is guaranteed that our clients will trigger our judgments, making it very difficult for us to come to a place of compassionate understanding, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard that Rogers defined as necessary for a therapeutic alliance.   When we find ourselves in judgment of our clients, we are presented with an opportunity to see the client as a mirror that is reflecting back to us a pattern of self judgment that is operating inside of us.  We must focus first on coming into a space of loving compassion with the parts inside of us that are hurting or we risk damaging the therapeutic alliance that every counseling modality asserts is vital to the healing process in counseling.” -Amber Rice, MA, LMFT