WOUNDED HEALERS AND RELATIONAL EXPERTS: A GROUNDED THEORY OF EXPERIENCED YCHOTHERAPISTS’ MANAGEMENT AND USE OF COUNTERTRANSFERENCE
Open Access
- Author:
- Baehr, Alan
- Graduate Program:
- Counseling Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 14, 2004
- Committee Members:
- Jamie Myers, Committee Member
Joyce Karen Illfelder Kaye, Committee Member
James Edward Martin, Committee Member
Jeffrey Hayes, Committee Chair/Co-Chair - Keywords:
- countertransference
wounded healer
grounded theory - Abstract:
- “Wounded Healers and Relational Experts: A Grounded Theory of Experienced Psychotherapists’ Management and Use of Countertransference” is a qualitative exploration yielding a theory of how psychotherapists may encounter, engage, manage, and make useful their personal reactions to challenging clients. Twelve psychotherapists were nominated by peers and were interviewed for approximately one hour each about a case of their choosing in which therapeutic gains were made. The interviews were analyzed primarily through grounded theory procedures, incorporating some elements of Consensual Qualitative Research. Ultimately the theory consisted of a core category, “therapist reactivity management,” that incorporated cognitive work, experiential change, responsiveness, and use of self. Therapist reactivity management was related to five other categories: causes of reactivity, reactivity, effects of reactivity, management facilitators, and management results. The essence of the core category was the process of bringing therapist and client psychological needs into conscious relationship with each other. This definition captured the diversity of therapist experiences without reducing them down to a single pathway. Variations depended on therapist attitudes toward reactivity, degree of resolution of underlying issues, and the type and intensity of the challenge presented by the client. Two main approaches emerged: that of the wounded healer, and that of the relational expert. Results were integrated with existing literature and recommendations made for psychotherapist training and practice. This study is the first qualitative investigation focused on countertransference management, and as such offers new possibilities for clinical application and understanding of a process recognized for nearly 100 years and crucial to helping troubled individuals through therapeutic relationship.