Countertransference in Religious Therapists of Religious Patients

Spero, Moshe Halevi

doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1981.35.4.565

Cited by 29 publications

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“…This response, however, should be handled with great caution because this feeling of certainty may dull or restrict the therapist's ability to listen and observe. Even if it is very familiar, the ostensibly clear knowledge of how the patient experiences his orthodox way of life also has its roots in the counter-transference (Spero, 1981).…”

Section: The Therapist and Feelings Of Guiltmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Centrality of Guilt: Working with Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Patients in Israel

Hess

2014

Am J Psychoanal

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The ultra-orthodox Jewish (Haredi) community in Israel is characterized by strict observance of the requirements of orthodox Jewish life. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy within this community brings us into contact with guilt as a central emotion throughout the therapeutic process. The exposure to new concepts, ways of thought and a previously unknown space, together with increased awareness of internal wishes and drives, are experienced as forbidden areas that arouse an awakening of conscience and a sense of guilt. The author's cases illustrate these conflicts.

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Section: The Therapist and Feelings Of Guiltmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Centrality of Guilt: Working with Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Patients in Israel

Hess

2014

Am J Psychoanal

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“…Hoffman does not seem to explore the transference and countertransference problems that may arise when a patient and therapist share a religious identity (Spero, 1981(Spero, , 1990. Instead, Hoffman goes on to base their working alliance in more rather concrete similarities, for instance, the college they both attended and a school the patient attended where Hoffman taught briefly, and in shared psychological issues, such as that "we both strove to be excellent at whatever we undertook" (p. 50).…”

Section: Toward Mutual Recognition: Relational Psychoanalysis and Thementioning

confidence: 99%

Book Reviews

2012

Psychodynamic Psychiatry

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“…Priests are referred to as "father," and lay persons often use the terms "sister" and "brother" in referring to other believers. In a therapeutic setting within the religious community, this bond can certainly result in a safe alliance in which the client and therapist share a similar language and a worldview that is respected (Spero, 1981). Indeed, many religious therapists are sought out by clients who view religious compatibility as an essential component to their choice of a therapist.…”

Section: The Sibling Complexmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Spero (1981) observed, however, "ongoing self-examination ... (is) relevant when dealing with patients whose familiarity with or similarity to the therapist may contaminate the therapist's attention, sensitivity, and ability to convey genuine acceptance of the patient" (p. 565). In other words, the religious commonality may serve as a sort of demand characteristic, influencing the therapist's response to the client.…”

Section: The Sibling Complexmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Manifestations of this type of countertransference are varied and exist on a continuum. One example is when a therapist identifies too strongly with a religious client's struggles, leading, as Spero (1981) pointed out, to "excessive agreement with the patient's rationalizations, too much sympathy with the patient's attempts to blame others or to find fault with his own lifestyle on superficial religious grounds, to too much or too little participation in the patient's anxieties, to too little expectations of better adjustment, to too strong an attitude of permissiveness regarding the satisfaction of neurotic needs" (p. 570). Essentially, greater detachment is needed.…”

Section: The Sibling Complexmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Potential Sources of Countertransference Among Religious Therapists

Case¹

1997

Counseling and Values

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Relational approaches to counseling emphasize the monitoring of countertransference responses as a crucial component in the therapeutic process. Six potential sources of countertransference are discussed that are specific to religious therapists and which may be easily overlooked. These responses are related to the therapist's identification with a community of faith, and they may have a detrimental impact on therapy if they are not monitored. A brief overview of the historical and contemporary understanding of the concept of countertransference is presented. Recommendations are offered for the effective management of these countertransference responses.Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye: when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. The New International Version) Psychoanalytic theory emphasizes the relationship between the therapist and the client as the basis for therapeutic change. Many contemporary psychoanalytic thinkers concur that the most important factor in the therapeutic process is the therapist's attitude and feelings toward the client (Luborsky,

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Countertransference in Religious Therapists of Religious Patients

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

The Centrality of Guilt: Working with Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Patients in Israel

The Centrality of Guilt: Working with Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Patients in Israel

Book Reviews

Potential Sources of Countertransference Among Religious Therapists

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