Understanding countertransference reactions to forensic clients with a personality disorder diagnosis: an empirical study using the Countertransference Questionnaire

Wright, Laura (2017) Understanding countertransference reactions to forensic clients with a personality disorder diagnosis: an empirical study using the Countertransference Questionnaire. MSc(Res) thesis, University of Nottingham.

[img] PDF (Thesis - as examined) - Repository staff only - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (1MB)

Abstract

Aims

This study sought to investigate the relationship between the countertransference (CT) reactions of therapeutic practitioners working in forensic services with clients with a personality disorder (PD). It examined the relationship between CT reactions and client PD as well as the influence of the client’s offending background and the service in which the practitioner was working.

Method

A sample of practitioners (N=17) who had recently engaged in 1:1 psychologically informed work in a forensic service with a client with PD were invited to complete an online survey. The survey used the 79-item Countertransference Questionnaire (CTQ) (Zittel & Westen, 2003) alongside demographic questions about the practitioner and their client. The CTQ results placed practitioners into one of eight CT ‘domains’.

Results

Chi-square analyses of relationships between CT and client PD diagnosis, client offence history and service setting were utilised. None of the tests were statistically significant.

Conclusion

Lack of statistical significance suggests that the CT reactions of forensic practitioners are not necessarily directly related to their client’s pathology or their working environment. The results provide interesting suggestions for future research to better understand the work of forensic practitioners and their clients in comparison to their non-forensic counterparts.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MSc(Res))
Supervisors: Chou, Shihning
Schroder, Thomas
Keywords: Countertransference; Personality Disorder; Forensic Psychology; Forensic inpatients; Psychologists
Subjects: W Medicine and related subjects (NLM Classification) > WM Psychiatry
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Medicine
Item ID: 47771
Depositing User: Wright, Laura
Date Deposited: 04 May 2018 12:51
Last Modified: 04 May 2018 22:52
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/47771

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View