Stony Brook School of Social Welfare: Countertransference in Challenging Times: Maintaining Therapeutic Presence – 3 CEC

When our socio-political environment is acutely challenging, both therapist and client are often navigating a similar internal and external crisis. Within the context of global stress, countertransference is heightened. Objective neutrality is replaced by our shared human experience of fear, anxiety, and loss of our sense of safety. Damage to our emotional, social, moral and physical safety creates intense vulnerability. In the therapeutic relationship, this vulnerability manifests in a variety of treatment-interfering ways such as: over-identification, emotional distancing, compassion fatigue, or the urge to “fix” the client. At these times, managing our own countertransference is paramount to best practice. This workshop will provide you with the tools you need to effectively use your own experience as clinical data, as well as to regulate your emotions and behavioral reactions to our clients while supporting them through challenging times.

School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University’s emphasis on social justice is infused throughout our courses, helping students to understand concepts of social justice from the level of individuals’ experiences to that of the global society. Our curriculum offers a foundation in health care upon which students can pursue numerous areas of interest in social welfare practice and policy.