title: What facilitates countertransference management? The roles of therapist meditation, mindfulness, and self-differentiation.
abstract: Abstract Countertransference (CT) reactions can negatively affect psychotherapy, and research has found that effectively managing these reactions is positively associated with psychotherapy outcome (Hayes, Gelso, & Hummel, 2011). Therefore, it is important to understand factors that might facilitate CT management. In this study, 78 therapist trainees completed measures of meditation experience, mindfulness, and self-differentiation, and their supervisors rated trainees' CT management qualities. Results indicated that trainees' meditation experience predicted CT management qualities but self-differentiation did not; one aspect of mindfulness, non-reactivity, was related to CT management qualities. Implications for theory, practice, research, and supervision are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Counseling Psychology Program, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Daphne M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fatter
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hayes
mesh_terms: D003379:Countertransference; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods; D011586:Psychology, Clinical / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires