Saturday, September 2nd 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM EST (3C)

When our socio political environment is acutely challenging, both therapist and client are

often navigating the same internal and external crisis. Within the context of global

stress, countertransference is heightened. Objective neutrality is replaced by our shared

human experience of fear, anxiety and loss of our sense of safety. Damage to our

emotional, social, moral and physical safety creates intense vulnerability. In the

therapeutic relationship, this vulnerability manifests in a variety of treatment interfering

ways such as: over-identification, emotional distancing, compassion fatigue, or the urge

to "fix" the client. At these times, managing our own countertransference is paramount

to best practice. This workshop will provide you with the tools you need to effectively

use your own experience as clinical data. as well as to regulate your emotions, and

behavioral reactions to our clients while supporting them through challenging times.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this 3-hour workshop, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate between standard clinical countertransference and "shared trauma"

countertransference triggered by acute socio-political crises.

• Identify at least three personal behavioral indicators of heightened vulnerability in

session, including over-identification, emotional distancing, and the urge to "fix."

• Utilize a 4-step clinical framework to safely transform internal affective experiences

(fear, anxiety, moral distress) into usable diagnostic data.

• Formulate an immediate, in-session emotion regulation plan using grounding and

cognitive-pausing techniques to maintain therapeutic boundaries.