Navigating the Countertransference Experience: A Transtheoretical Specifist Model

Abstract

The attempt to identify and classify distinct experiences falling under the common designation of countertransference has been labelled the specifist tradition. In this paper, a model describing two dimensions differentiating four components of countertransference experience is proposed. For each experiential component (subjective countertransference, objective countertransference, therapeutic attitude and emerging experience), a brief description based on previous literature from diverse theoretical fields is offered, along with clinical implications and illustrations and an account of empirical literature explicitly or implicitly addressing the specific component. In conclusion, the model is presented as a heuristic guide that can serve different purposes across different therapeutic orientations, with valuable implications for practice, training and supervision.