After reading this information on transference and counter-transference you should have a better understanding of how this phenomena occurs. Describe in at least one page, your experience with either transference, counter-transference or both. The experience you describe should preferably be from an experience at your clinical site. However, you may use an example from another care giving/receiving experience.

Transference and Countertransference are phenomena, not tools. They are components of a relational paradigm and phenomenon that occurs naturally on a conscious and unconscious level.
Transference
David Hansen, in The Art of Pastoring (1994), says this about transference: â€œWe react and relate to another person not only on the basis of our conscious experience of the person in reality, but also on the basis of our unconscious experience of him [or her] in reference to experiences with significant people in infancy and childhood â€“ especially parents and other family members. We tend to displace feelings and attitudes from these past figures onto people in the present, especially if the person in the present has features similar to the person in the pastâ€ (pg. 125).
Pamela Cooper-White, in Shared Wisdom: Use of the Self in Pastoral Care and Counseling (2004), defines transference as the sum total of the care receiverâ€™s thoughts, feelings, fantasies, impulses and bodily sensations, conscious and unconscious, toward the care giver and may include, but is not limited to, preconditioned patterns of relating developed in childhood. The caregiver can become the â€œunloving mother who canâ€™t be pleasedâ€ or the â€œangry, critical father.â€
Transference reactions can occur in any relationship, but tend to occur more frequently and intensely in relationships with authority. Pastors and their spouses are â€œhigh transference liabilitiesâ€ not only because they are in positions of authority, but because they also symbolize loving parents. If a personâ€™s parents were kind and loving, they will likely experience their pastor as kind and loving, whereas if a personâ€™s parents were harsh and demanding, they might experience their pastor, who is actually firm yet loving, as harsh and demanding.
As a pastor, youâ€™ve likely had the experience of walking into a roomful of laughter only to be met with silence as you enter. This is a typical transference reaction. You could read it as â€œDaddyâ€™s here, heâ€™ll be mad if we donâ€™t behave.â€ Or a parishioner might worship the ground you walk on. You could interpret this response as, â€œYouâ€™re the mommy who will finally give me all the love I need.â€ Although the severity of the transference varies, it is rarely pleasant to be on the receiving end, since transference situations have a tendency to blow up.
So what happens when these intense feelings are transferred onto a pastor who is not trained to help someone work through them, or even to recognize a transference reaction? Usually, the pastor feels sideswiped and canâ€™t understand why someone who was considered a friend would suddenly turn cold, distant, bitter and angry. If angry enough, this individual may even turn others in the congregation against the pastor. The conflict often centers on the personality and/or character of the pastor, who has come to represent someoneâ€™s unloving, abusive, critical parent. When this occurs, congregations sometimes split into two groups: those who love the pastor, and those who despise the pastor.
The eventual consequences of transference can be devastating. Pastors, hurt and bewildered, are tossed out of churches they once loved; long-standing parishioners leave their beloved church angry and bitter. Sadly, we sometimes prefer to destroy present relationships rather than heal the pain of our past that fuels our anger today.
Pastorsâ€™ spouses are susceptible to transference as well, and can often be perceived as an all-loving, nurturing mother or father figure. For example: A woman friend made some hurtful comments to a pastorâ€™s wife about their relationship, stating that she had noticed that she was â€œnicerâ€ to the other women in the church, that she paid more attention to them, spent more time with them and in general just wasnâ€™t as loving to her as she was with others. The pastorâ€™s wife was devastated. As many would testify that these comments did not fit the kind of person she is.
In this case, the woman was not interested in drawing closer by giving constructive feedback but, at an unconscious level, was likely transferring old hurt and unresolved anger towards one or both of her parents. No matter the pastorâ€™s wife tried to â€œwork outâ€ the issue, the woman was not willing to let go of her negative perceptions. To do so would require that she face the pain of her past. And unless a person takes ownership of their transference reactions, reconciliation is unlikely.
Counter-transference
Another phenomenon closely associated with transference is counter-transference. Pamela Cooper-White defines counter-transference as the sum total of thoughts, feelings, fantasies, impulses and bodily sensations, conscious and unconscious, that may arise in the caregiver in relation to any person who has come for care. In other words, counter-transference is your response to someone elseâ€™s transference. For example, a parishioner might see the pastor as a perfect Jesus-like figure, and the pastor, rather than recognizing this as a distorted perception, takes on the role. The pastor begins to feel that they must be perfect, that they donâ€™t want to let the parishioner down or disappoint her, or make her angry. The pastor and parishioner are now involved in a fantasy relationship. As with transference, counter-transference reactions also have their roots in childhood and are excellent indicators of areas in need of further healing.
It is essential that any person in a position of power and authority is aware of her/his transference and counter-transference reactions so that enmeshed with others can be avoided. Transference is not easy to identify because it looks like normal behavior. Some signs to watch for start within. Ask yourself if the person makes you feel any of the following:
â€¢ That you should be perfect?
â€¢ That you should take care of them?
â€¢ That they need your approval?
â€¢ That you want to avoid them?
â€¢ That you cannot give them constructive feedback for fear of hurting their feelings?
Affirmative answers to any of these questions may indicate that the person is not seeing the real you but has created a fantasy of you. If someoneâ€™s reaction is out of proportion to the situation or if an apology is not accepted, transference has possibly been triggered. Watch for comments that include phrases like â€œyou should,â€ â€œyou never,â€ â€œyou always,â€ or â€œif only you would.â€

Counter-transference usually takes the form of criticism. If you catch yourself saying or thinking certain critical phrases, they may be red flags that point to unresolved hurts in your own life. Watch out for phrases such as:
â€¢ Sheâ€™s so cold, just like my mother.
â€¢ If only he could be less critical.
â€¢ Donâ€™t they know how hard Iâ€™m working?
â€¢ Why does this person treat me like a little kid?
Excerpts taken from the Clergy Care Network at Focus on the Family Canada. Article Excerpts by Michele Langmead.

After reading this information on transference and counter-transfer...