66th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 21

Morning Workshops

9:00 - 11:30 A.M.

Workshop 71

Sexual Feelings? What Sexual Feelings? Therapist Erotic Countertransference in Group Therapy

Chairs:                

Nancy Kelly, Ph.D., LCSW, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

Robert Murphy, M.A., LPC, LMFT, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

Group therapists - no less than other therapists - may feel bewildered, self-critical, or ashamed whenever they encounter their own erotic or sexual feelings toward a client. This workshop will offer an opportunity to explore the presence (and absence) of sexual feelings in our work with clients, as well as a chance to explore ways we avoid such feelings. We'll explore the concepts of subjective and objective countertransference, examine forms of therapist resistance, and offer one framework for understanding the power of erotic feelings in our work.

didactic-demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify three reasons for the professional "blind spot" around use of sexual feelings in therapy.

2. Distinguish between subjective and objective countertransference.

3. Name two therapist behaviors that might indicate resistance around erotic countertransference.

4. Describe how a therapist's erotic countertransference might be useful in working with a client or group.

Course References:

1. Mann, D. (1997) Psychotherapy: An Erotic Relationship. New York: Routledge.

2. Morrel, A. (1992) Countertransference and the analyst's response to it: Feelings about feelings. Modern Psychoanalysis, 17, pp. 85-99.

3. Pope, K., Sonne, J., and Greene, B. (2006) What Therapists Don't Talk About and Why: Understanding Taboos that Hurt Us and Our Clients. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.