Countertransference: A vehicle for reciprocal growth and repair in women psychotherapists treating women patients

In 1986 research the author described a constellation of gender related issues emergent in the transference and countertransference of women psychotherapists treating women patients. Shared gender-linked issues appear to foster special resonance between women psychotherapists and their patients. This paper posits that shared themes in the interplay of transference and countertransference can be reparative and growthful for the psychotherapist as well as her patient. Three examples from the author's clinical experience are used to demonstrate the process by which countertransference can give the patient greater access to unconscious material while simultaneously promoting growth in the therapist.