Theory-Induced Countertransference: When Psychotherapy Models Become a Blind Spot
Richard explains how every school of psychotherapy runs the risk of becoming orthodox—a rigid way of seeing and responding to clients. When this happens, theory itself can shape the therapist’s emotional and relational reactions in ways that limit presence and attunement.
We explore:
What theory-induced countertransference means
How focusing too strongly on psychopathology can lead therapists to see clients as diagnoses rather than as people under stress, managing conflict in the best way they can
How early models in Gestalt therapy (rapid re-decision work) and Transactional Analysis (heavy confrontation in the 1970s) sometimes missed clients’ developmental timing
How confrontation, when driven by theory rather than attunement, can create shame and compliance instead of growth
Why theoretical expectations themselves can function as a reactive countertransference
How an integrative psychotherapy stance—with multiple hypotheses and perspectives—reduces the risk of becoming trapped inside a single model
Why phenomenological inquiry into the client’s internal experience is often more clinically useful than prematurely fitting behavior into concepts such as games or drama triangles
Richard emphasizes that what may look like a game or enactment is less important than understanding what the client is experiencing internally, moment by moment, across shifting relational positions.
This video is especially relevant for therapists, trainees, and supervisors who want to reflect critically on how theory shapes perception—and how to remain present, flexible, and relational in clinical work.
