Abstract:
This qualitative research aims to explore the psychological experiences of psychotherapists countertransference (CT) in the therapeutic process. The participants include six psychotherapists who have 5 10 years of therapeutic practice. The data were collected via semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study resulted in the three main themes which were 1) Connectedness to the client, included the familiarity of psychotherapists experiences, the sympathetic feelings to clients, and psychotherapists inability to contain their feelings. 2) CT is undesirable, included the conflict to a concept of ideal psychotherapists, and the disturbance of professional and personal lives of the psychotherapists. 3) Trying to stop CT, included psychotherapists working with themselves (bringing consciousness to the process, changing the process to avoid the effect of CT, increasing knowledge and understanding in theories and their own experiences, accepting the psychotherapists boundary), consulting supervisor and seeing their psychotherapist, and expressing and asking for others opinion. The findings increase a better understanding of CT experience and are useful for psychotherapists, also including trainers or supervisors, to be aware of the importance of CT which is inevitable to improve their practice and supervision.