National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level 2 (NCAC II) Practice Exam Exam

What is it called when a counselor projects their own feelings onto the client?

1. Transference

2. Countertransference

3. Empathy

4. Projective identification

The correct answer is: Countertransference

The term referred to when a counselor projects their own feelings onto the client is countertransference. This concept describes a situation where the counselor allows their personal emotions, conflicts, and experiences to influence their relationship with the client, often leading to biases in judgment and responses. Countertransference can impede the counseling process as it may cause counselors to react to clients based on their own unresolved issues rather than the client's needs. Given that counselors are encouraged to maintain professional boundaries and objectivity, recognizing countertransference is essential for effective practice. It allows counselors to reflect on their feelings and manage them, ensuring the focus remains on the client's experience rather than the counselor's personal emotions. Transference, in contrast, refers to the client's projection of their feelings onto the counselor, making it distinctly different from countertransference. Empathy is the capacity to understand and share the feelings of another, while projective identification is a more complex phenomenon involving the client projecting feelings onto the counselor and influencing the counselor's responses. Understanding these distinctions highlights the significance of self-awareness in counseling practice to prevent the complications associated with countertransference.