Working Emotions with Different Theories on Cases in Psychotherapy

Moderator: Tuba DURSUN TUNCEL – tubadursun@yahoo.com-  Phd Student in Clinical Psychology – Istanbul / TURKEY – Psikoterapi Enstitüsü      

First Participant Issue: Working transferance and countertransference In Kernberg’s transference-focused therapy (Tuba Dursun Tuncel) 

Abstract

Clinical studies show that the majority of clients are individuals with a diagnoses of personality disorder. Transference refers to the later revival of the first established object relations. Transference-Focused Therapy is one of the most effective psychotherapy schools in cases with borderline personality traits.

Contemporary, holistic, or global understanding defines countertransference as the current emotional response to the patient. (Kernberg, 1975). Transference-focused therapy has also created the need to constantly monitor its own counter-transference feeling by associating it with the developments with transference in order to understand the patient in depth. The client therapist sees his feelings and desires towards other people in his past as an object, and this is manifested in the client’s transference towards the therapist. Here, the therapist is not neutral about not giving emotional reactions to the patient, but uses his effort and skill to better understand the therapy environment rather than to contain these emotions and drain them into his relationship with the client. It also does this through emotion. In this study, on a client with a borderline personality organization, the therapist will experience intense emotional responses due to the client’s primitive, intense complex transfers, which indicates the therapist’s capacity to withstand mental stress and anxiety. The dyad and feelings of the client in his inner world will be evaluated with the techniques of clarification, confrontation and interpretation. Transference-focused therapy, transference countertransference formulation through emotions, and techniques used will be evaluated.

Keywords: transference, countertransference, borderline personality organization, transference-focused therapy.