Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
https://trends.org.br/article/doi/10.1590/2237-6089-2014-1004
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Review Article

Systematic review of studies about countertransference in adult psychotherapy

Revisão sistemática de estudos sobre contratransferência em psicoterapia de adultos

Diogo de Bitencourt Machado; Fábio Monteiro da Cunha Coelho; Augusto Dutra Giacomelli; Mariana Almeida Lopes Donassolo; Morgana Sonza Abitante; Tatiane Dall'Agnol; Cláudio Laks Eizirik

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Countertransference, the emotional reaction of a psychotherapist toward a patient, is an important technical element of psychotherapy. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and describe the main findings of studies that evaluated countertransference in adult psychotherapy.METHODS: A search was conducted of the databases Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Knowledge to retrieve data published in any language at any time.RESULTS:Of the 1,081 studies found in the databases, 25 were selected. Most were about psychodynamic psychotherapy, and results indicated that positive countertransference, that is, feelings of closeness to the patient, are associated with positive outcomes, such as symptom improvement and good therapeutic alliance.CONCLUSIONS: Although few studies were found in the literature, countertransference seems to be an important source of knowledge about several aspects, such as treatment outcomes, attachment style, therapeutic alliance, patient symptoms and diagnoses.

Keywords

Psychotherapy, countertransference, review

Resumo

INTRODUÇÃO: Contratransferência, definida como a reação emocional do psicoterapeuta em relação ao paciente, é um elemento técnico importante da psicoterapia. Esta revisão sistemática procura identificar e descrever os principais achados de estudos que avaliaram a contratransferência na psicoterapia de adultos.MÉTODOS: Realizou-se uma busca sem restrição de língua ou data de publicação nas bases de dados Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO e Web of Knowledge.RESULTADOS: Dos 1.081 estudos encontrados nas bases de dados, 25 foram selecionados. A maioria trata de psicoterapia psicodinâmica e os resultados indicam que a contratransferência positiva, isto é, os sentimentos de proximidade com o paciente, está associada a resultados positivos, tais como a melhora dos sintomas e o desenvolvimento de uma boa aliança terapêutica.CONCLUSÕES: Apesar de poucos estudos terem sido encontrados na literatura, a contratransferência parece ser uma fonte importante para o conhecimento do resultado do tratamento, estilo de apego, aliança terapêutica, sintomas e diagnóstico, dentre outros aspectos.

Palavras-chave

Psicoterapia, contratransferência, revisão

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