The emotions of the therapist

A reflection on how the psychologist's emotions influence therapy.

Your patient with agoraphobia has gone for the first time by bus alone. how do you feel?

A patient tells you that therapy is not working and that he is not coming back. How do you feel?

When the patient walks in the door, he reminds you of your partner. How do you feel?

Every day, therapists experience a Wide range of emotions, which is part of their job and part of the human condition. In recent years, research is increasingly focusing on the emotions that therapists experience during a session with a patient.. Moreover, contemporary psychological currents place this aspect in a central position in therapeutic work.

Transference and countertransference

The terms transference and countertransference are two concepts of psychoanalytic origin which, although it seems that they should be applied within this current, for many authors they go beyond these limits. Thus, they are nowadays present in clinical practice.

In general terms, transference can be defined as the transfer of feelings and emotions from the person to the receiver, be it a friend, a partner, a family member or a friend.be it a friend, a partner, a parent or a therapist. These emotions are born from the history that the person has lived and that, by forming bonds with other people, feelings and affections are revived.

During a therapeutic session, the psychologist is not immune to the person's transference and reacts to it with other transference.. This is what is known as countertransference. Thus, the therapist may feel affection, anger, frustration or sadness through what the person is transmitting.

In the therapeutic relationship, both the patient's and the therapist's feelings and emotions are in constant fluctuation. It could be said that it is a kind of dance of emotions that are exchanged during the relationship.

Do not take for granted that an emotion is "positive" or "negative".

Studies that have focused on the therapist's emotions have mostly focused on the emotions known as negative: boredom, anger, distress, or sadness. **How does the therapist view each emotion? **

It is common to identify joy as a positive emotion and anger as a negative emotion. However, it is not possible to classify what type of emotion it is without taking into account the therapeutic context.

In this sense, a patient who evokes feelings of sadness and grief in the therapist may a priori be seen as negative. However, these emotions are appropriate if the patient is relating an emotional and moving experience. Likewise, the anger that the therapist may feel at a given moment can be an opportunity to observe what that emotion is signaling and, consequently, to make a more precise intervention..

The professionalism of the psychologist

As it has been seen, the psychologists do not stop being people and as such, they have feelings. Feeling is something that arises and is inevitable. This does not mean that therapists let themselves be carried away by emotions, nor that they mark the course of the therapeutic work..

In this sense, what is important is what psychologists do with those emotions, i.e., how they react when they arise. Emotions and feelings can be very useful and, at the same time, alter therapy and even harm it. It can be said that they are a double-edged sword.

In the profession, psychologists are objective and impartial and will always prioritize the development of the therapy, fulfilling the goals and interests of the patient.and the patient's goals and interests will always be paramount. However, it is possible that sometimes it is difficult to mark this line that divides the professional from the person, and that he/she gets carried away by emotion, leaving aside the therapeutic work.

In this case, a good professional will choose to refer the patient, thus fulfilling his or her job. These aspects are included in the Psychologist's Code of Ethics. For example, Article 11 states that the psychologist will not take advantage of his situation of power or superiority for his own profit or benefit. Likewise, Article 15 states that "when the psychologist is faced with conflicting personal or institutional interests, he/she shall endeavor to carry out his/her activity in terms of maximum impartiality".

Finally, it should be noted that it is advisable to maintain a balance between the feelings that may arise in therapy and the professionalism of the psychologist. a balance between the feelings that may arise in therapy and the professionalism of the psychologist, who will set his or her goals in the progress of the therapy.who will set his or her goals in the progress of the therapy.

In PsicoAlmería we understand the importance of emotions, both of the patients and of the professional psychologists who apply the therapies. For this reason, we carry out an adequate follow-up of the therapies with regular meetings of the professionals. We have an adequate protocol that guarantees that the people who come to our center receive an adapted and effective therapy in which the attending psychologist is being objective and with an adequate emotional regulation.

Author: Sandra García López, psychologist at PsicoAlmería.