View/Open - Scholarly Commons Home

Chapter Four – The diachronic analysis – who, what and when? – Page 132
after the break with difficult feelings about the experience of doing the semester, many
of which are acknowledged and hence validated by other members. This episode is the
focus of Chapter Six, ‘The Eruption’.
The session starts with a discussion of Kelly’s illness, which has led her to not present
today, although she has wanted to come and indeed has. Ron opens with his need to
prepare a presentation on countertransference, and asks the group if they mind to
discuss how it might be presented and what people think he might need to say. Tom
hasn’t thought about what he might bring, but wonders about looking at his notes for
clinical questions. Veronica wonders about attachment theory. She points out that all of
her clients have avoidant attachment styles, which raises questions for Veronica about
whether she is being heavy-handed, and because she is an intimate person, is she too
intimate for the clients. Paula wonders about how to hold someone so desperate to get
away. Frances talks about her service being in chaos, and wonders how to retain spirit
against the onslaught of the desperate. We take these interests as our foci, at least to
start with.
Countertransference first. We have what feels like a useful discussion, but as a group we
have difficulty in responding to my invitation to ‘bring it in here’, in other words, to try
and make the topic part of current experience in the room. There is a wealth of
experience of teaching this topic to others, and people are indirectly revealing, for
example, Tom relating how a female client had told him with a smile on her face about
having a crush on a man, Kelly saying that it’s different for her because she offers
herself as an attachment figure rather than issuing a transferential invitation, and Paula
talking about a documentary on an aggressive treatment regime, presumably as a
warning to those who risk acting from their countertransference.