Countertransference with Clients who Have Schizophrenia: A Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Social work practitioners face particular challenges when working with clients who have schizophrenia, as it is often difficult to develop positive relationships with them. Social workers' ability to engage with their clients is critical and depends in part on the social workers' sensitivity to countertransference reactions. The purpose of this article is to review the potentially positive and negative effects of social workers' countertransference feelings when working with clients who have schizophrenia. The topic is addressed through a consideration of the nature of schizophrenia, the nature of transference and countertransference, and a detailed case presentation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE• As a result of reading this article, social workers will have a greater understanding of their personal reactions to clients, and as such be able to keep their focus on the client's needs rather than their own. S ocial work practitioners, whether functioning in therapist or case manager roles, face particular challenges when working with clients who have schizophrenia, as it is often difficult to develop positive relationships with them (Hewitt & Coffey, 2005). The range of possible interventions with these clients is broad, including counseling strategies, medication management, life skills development, and case management, but the social workers' ability to engage with their clients depends in part on the social workers' sensitivity to transference and countertransference reactions. The purpose of this article is to review the potentially positive and negative effects of social workers' countertransference feelings when working with clients who have schizophrenia. The topic is addressed through a consideration of the nature of schizophrenia, the nature of transference and countertransference, and a detailed case presentation.

Human Rights-Based Approaches to Clinical Social Work

“…The therapist may form judgments about the person based on his or her own experiences. All of these reactions may be forms of countertransference (Walsh, 2011). Countertransference, in its contemporary sense, involves the therapists' reactions to the person they are conducting therapy with based on the characteristics, experiences, and behavior of the person, and/or the therapists' own present or past experiences and inner unresolved conflicts .…”