Transference and Countertransference in Therapy Explained

You may have come across the concept of transference in therapy. It’s a psychoanalytical idea in which someone takes feelings associated with one person and transfers them onto someone else. Traditionally, transference theory focuses on the client’s relationship with their parents and how those feelings were projected into the therapeutic relationship. However, unless you are working from a strictly psychoanalytical perspective, it can be useful to broaden the idea. You can include other important relationships, and sometimes even objects or situations as well.

It’s said (Disney, 2023) that when Walt Disney was looking for an actress to perform the voice of Snow White, he listened to candidates sing from behind a screen. This was so he wasn’t influenced by whether or not they looked like the character. In some ways, this is a conscious attempt to avoid transference. However, it’s generally an unconscious process. We are usually not aware of making these assumptions, let alone of where they come from. We just know that we have a liking (or dislike) for someone that we just met. Something we might call a ‘gut feeling’. But we might find the new acquaintance reminds us in some way of our best friend or a nasty neighbour. And that may be influencing the way we respond to them.

Transference in Hypnotherapy

Within the therapeutic relationship, the term transference is used about a client transferring their feelings to the therapist. Sometimes, especially if a client is referred by an employer or GP, they don’t get much say in who becomes their therapist. But most hypnotherapy clients have complete freedom of choice in who they see.

True, factors like geography, your working hours, and even price will factor into this choice. But practicalities satisfied, they choose you based on what you say on your website, and how you say it. Or perhaps even because they like your photo. 

A Practical Example of Transference

Here’s a brief experiment for you to try. Go to the Hypnotherapy Directory. Search for therapists in a town that’s not where you live (so you are less likely to know any of them). Ignore the words, and scan quickly down the list of photos as if you were a potential client. Which person would you be inclined to go and see? Would you rule any out, based entirely on their photo?

Now read the introductions, does that change your mind?

When you have narrowed your choice down to a couple of people ask yourself these questions…

• Does this person remind me in any way of someone significant in my life? Especially someone who was important to me when I was a child? 
• If yes: who is that person? Am I responding to the therapist as if they were like that person? 
• If no: are they the opposite of someone significant in my life, especially someone important to me as a child? Or do they seem to be the way I would have liked that person to be? 

This is brief and not very scientific, of course, but your answers might give you some insight into transference. And some tips about what sort of photo you need on your website!

Common Examples of Transference in Therapy

Clients are going through this process with your online presence all the time. For the ones who pick up the phone, something in their perception of you attracts them. You may remind them of someone else who helped them, or who was a friend or trusted authority figure. Or they may think you seem different from someone they had a difficult relationship with (e.g., a parent or teacher). 

Any of these responses would be transference. And once you meet and begin to working together this can become stronger. Or not, depending on whether you meet their expectations.

As a caring therapist, you may be the only person in the client’s life who is supportive and non-critical. Or, in a more practical way, their only social contact. In part because of this, transference is a normal part of the therapeutic relationship.

It may result in a client experiencing a ‘crush’ or sexual attraction, mistrust, anger, over-dependence, over-compliance, and many other feelings towards their therapist. Psychodynamic therapists use this to identify unresolved unconscious feelings and conflicts, and consider it a normal part of therapy. Even if you don’t follow that approach, some of the stages of a client’s therapeutic journey may still involve transference.

Transference and Projection in Therapy

Since we’re talking psychodynamics here, you might have come across the concept of ‘ego defence mechanisms’. Broadly, these are the different tools that the unconscious mind uses to try to protect the ego, or true self. They include projection, which is assuming that other people share your view of something. 

Both transference and projection involve assuming what the other person is thinking, or what they are like. But there are differences. Projection is assuming the other person feels and thinks the same way you do. For example, a bully might think their victim is inadequate or vulnerable, because this is the way they feel themselves. 

Transference is assuming that, because they remind you of a person you know, they are like them in all ways. So, if your boss reminds you of a school bully, you may assume they will also be a bully.

What Is Countertransference?

Counter-transference is a similar process but it works the other way. It’s when the therapist transfers some of their own preconceptions or issues onto the client. For example, we may ‘like’ some clients more than others, or feel it‘s easier to empathise with them. It’s not very politically correct to say this, but it’s an inevitable part of being human. Perhaps they remind us of someone we already know and are fond of. Or perhaps they share similar interests or attitudes to ourselves. 

Equally, they may remind us of someone we dislike or find overbearing. Or their situation may echo the events and feelings we’re experiencing ourselves. Then we may find ourselves dreading their appointments or avoiding discussing certain aspects of their situation. 

Recognising Countertransference as a Therapist

Counter-transference can lead to}

• blurred boundaries,
• inappropriate self-disclosure,
• complicity in continuing the client’s maladaptive behaviours (because we share them),
• difficulty in ending therapy, and
• the breakdown of the therapeutic relationship.

If you feel from the start that you will find it difficult to work with a client, refer them on. There’s nothing to stop you doing this, unless you always refuse to work with a particular group of people who are protected by anti-discrimination law. (There’s a detailed discussion on this aspect of things, in The Hypnotherapist’s Companion, covering the legal situation.) Assuming it’s an individual client, though, I’d say trust your gut: it’s your unconscious mind telling you something important.

Why Transference and Countertransference Matter

What if transference or countertransference only becomes obvious after you have started working with a client? The direct approach is often the best one. Express your concerns constructively, with specific examples, and not as a personal attack. ‘It feels as if you sometimes think I’m being unsupportive when I ask you to come up with your own solutions to the situations we talk about. There was an example a few minutes ago when I asked how you would like to deal with your cravings. If so, I want to make it clear that that isn’t my intention. Can we work out why it seems that way? How would you like to approach that?’

You also, of course, need to be honest with yourself about your responses to your client. It might be annoying that the client wants you to wave a magic wand, or tell them what to do. (If that last is a big temptation for you, you might like to check out my earlier blog, on whether therapists should give advice.)  

Either way, self-awareness and reflective practice are important, as is asking questions like:

• Is this response my usual one? 
• Does this client remind me of anyone else? 
• Do I have any particular feelings towards them?
• Do I feel differently about this client than about others? If so, how?
• Are my feelings affecting the way I work with this client?

Supervision can be a good place to explore this as well.

Transference and counter-transference are unconscious mechanisms and can’t be completely avoided. But if they are recognised, it’s possible to reduce or remove any negative or restrictive impact they have on your relationship with clients. You may even be able to use them constructively to improve progress.

References:

The Disney Classics. (2023). Disney Legends – Adriana Caselotti (Snow White). [online] Available at: https://www.thedisneyclassics.com/blog/adriana-caselotti. [accessed May 2026]
Holans, Kimberley. (2019). Transference: What It Means and How It May Be Used in Therapy. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/transference#different-than-projection. [accessed 10.1.21]
Waller, D. (2016) Their Worlds, Your Words. Jaloba Publishing: UK.