Clinical Reasoning Processes and Authentic Clinical Care for Traumatised Patients

Clinical Reasoning Processes and Authentic Clinical Care for Traumatised Patients

The concept of countertransference is a central foundation pillar of psychoanalytic theory and practice. It has become increasingly influential in other forms of therapy and in neuroscience research into resting-states. It is, like many other concepts in psychoanalysis, characterized by its elasticity and covers a wide range of phenomena inside and outside the clinical sector. Attempts to measure countertransference phenomena empirically, on a quantitative or qualitative level have been avoided for a long time due to its complexity. Recently however, various methodologies and approaches to conduct empirical research in this field have become more and more successful in documenting the importance of countertransference for treatment of patients in the medical context and as well as for diagnostic purposes.