Abstract
The complexity of long-term, dynamically oriented psychotherapy with a patient who belongs to an “enemy” national group, requires more than cultural sensitivity, especially during ongoing violent political conflict. This paper deals with some of the transference–countertransference dynamics that face therapists from a minority group involved in a political conflict with the patient’s majority group. Clinical examples from the Palestinian therapist–Jewish patient therapeutic dyad are presented in order to clarify these issues as they relate to setting, contract, interpretation, and termination of therapy. The main argument is that the therapist in such cases has to process not only his sense of threat, anger, and guilt in order to develop a good containment function during therapy, but also has to work on integrating different and denied parts of his national identity in order to be able to hear other, more internal dynamics in the patient’s mind, which are conveyed via the political conflict reality and transference issues.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Krenawi, A. (1996). Group work with Bedouin widows of the Negev in a medical clinic. Journal of Women and Social Work, 11, 303–318.
Al-Krenawi, A., & Graham, J. R. (2000). Culturally sensitive social work practice with Arab clients in mental health settings. Health and Social Work, 25, 9–22.
American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58, 377–402.
Baum, N. (2006). Social work in political conflict. Families in Society, 87, 395–400.
Baum, N. (2010). After a terror attack: Israeli–Arab professionals’ feelings and experiences. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 685–704.
Baum, N. (2011). Issues in psychotherapy with clients affiliated with the opposing side in a violent political conflict. Clinical Social Work Journal, 39, 91–100.
Baum, N. (2012). Field supervision in countries ridden by armed conflict. International Social Work, 55, 704–719.
Benson, J. F., Moore, R., Kapur, R., & Rice, C. A. (2005). Management of intense countertransference in group psychotherapy conducted in situations of civic conflict. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 55, 63–86.
Bion, W. R. (1970). Attention and interpretation. London: Tavistock.
Bizi-Nathaniel, S., Granek, M., & Golomb, M. (1991). Psychotherapy of an Arab patient by a Jewish therapist in Israel during the Intifada. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 45, 594–603.
Blue, H. C., & Gonzalez, C. A. (1992). The meaning of ethno-cultural difference: Its impact on and use in the psychotherapeutic process. In D. Greenfeld (Ed.), Treating diverse disorders with psychotherapy. New directions for mental health services (pp. 73–84). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bodnar, S. (2004). Remember where you come from: Dissociative process in multicultural individuals. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 14, 581–605.
Bollas, C. (1987). The shadow of the object: Psychoanalysis of the unthought known. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Campbell, J., & Healey, A. (1999). Whatever you say, say something: The education, training and practice of mental health social workers in Northern Ireland. Social Work Education, 18, 389–400.
Campbell, J., & McCrystal, P. (2005). Mental health social work and troubles in Northern Ireland: A study of practitioner experiences. Journal of Social Work, 5, 173–190.
Chandler, D. K. (2007). The influence of racist attitudes and racial identity development among white counselors within cross racial counseling dyads with black clients. Master’s thesis, North Caroline State University, NC.
Comas-Diaz, L., & Jacobsen, F. M. (1991). Ethno-cultural transference and countertransference in the therapeutic dyad. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61, 392–402.
Davids, F. (2006). Internal racism, anxiety and the world outside: Islamophobia post 9/11. Organizational and Social Dynamics, 6, 63–85.
Davids, F. (2008). Race, culture and psychotherapy. In Conference on race, culture and psychotherapy, June 20, 2008. London: Royal Society of Medicine.
Dwairy, M. (2009). Culture analysis and metaphor psychotherapy with Arab–Muslim clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 199–209.
Dwairy, M., & Van-Sickle, T. D. (1996). Western psychotherapy in traditional Arab societies. Clinical Psychology Review, 16, 231–249.
Dyche, L., & Zayas, L. H. (2001). Cross-cultural empathy and training the contemporary psychotherapist. Clinical Social Work Journal, 29, 245–258.
Ericskon, C., & Al-Timini, N. (2001). Providing mental health services to Arab Americans: Recommendations and considerations. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 7, 308–327.
Garrett, M. T., & Pichette, E. F. (2000). Red as an apple: Native American acculturation and counseling with or without reservation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, 3–13.
Gorkin, M. (1986). Counter-transference in cross cultural psychotherapy: The example of Jewish therapist and Arab patient. Psychiatry, 49, 69–79.
Gorkin, M. (1987). The uses of countertransference. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Gorkin, M., Masalha, S., & Yatziv, G. (1985). Psychotherapy of Israeli–Arab patients: Some cultural considerations. Journal of Psychoanalytic Anthropology, 8, 215–234.
Griffith, M. (1977). The influences of race on the psychotherapeutic relationship. Psychiatry, 40, 27–40.
Guru, S. (2010). Social work and the ‘War on Terror’. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 272–289.
Haj-Yahia, M. M. (1995). Toward culturally sensitive intervention with Arab families in Israel. Contemporary Family Therapy, 17, 429–447.
Haj-Yahia, M. M., & Roer-Strier, D. (1999). On the encounter between Jewish supervisors and Arab supervisees in Israel. The Clinical Supervisor, 18, 17–37.
Hastie, B., & Rimmington, D. (2014). 200 years of white affirmative action: White privilege discourse in discussions of racial inequality. Discourse and Society, 25, 186–204.
Inayat, Q. (2007). Islamophobia and the therapeutic dialogue: Some reflections. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 20, 287–293.
Lago, C., & Thompson, J. (2000). Race culture and counselling. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Masalha, S. (1999). Psychodynamic psychotherapy as applied in an Arab village clinic. Clinical Psychology Review, 19, 987–997.
McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies. Working paper 189. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Centre for Research on Women.
Nassar-McMillan, S., & Hakim-Larson, J. (2003). Counseling considerations among Arab Americans. Journal of Counseling and Development, 81, 150–159.
Nuttman-Shwartz, O. (2008). Working with others in a context of political conflict: Is it possible to support clients whose views you disagree with. In S. Ramon (Ed.), Social work in the context of political conflict (pp. 48–70). Birmingham: Venture Press.
Perez-Foster, R. (1998). The clinician’s cultural counter-transference: The psychodynamics of culturally competent practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 26, 253–271.
Perez-Foster, R. (1999). An intersubjective approach in cross cultural clinical work. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 69, 269–283.
Ramon, S. (2004). The impact of the 2nd Intifada on Israeli Arab and Jewish social workers. European Journal of Social Work, 7, 285–303.
Ramon, S. (2008). Social work in the context of political conflict. Birmingham: Venture Press.
Roysicar, G. (2003). Religious differences: Psychological and sociopolitical aspects of counselling. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 25, 255–267.
Rubin, S. S., & Nassar, H. Z. (1993). Psychotherapy and supervision with a bereaved Moslem family: An intervention that almost failed. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 56, 338–348.
Sayed, M. (2003). Psychotherapy of Arab patients in the West: Uniqueness, empathy, and “otherness”. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 57, 445–459.
Schachter, J. S., & Butts, H. F. (1968). Transference and countertransference in interracial analysis. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 16, 792–808.
Shoshani, M., Shoshani, B., & Shinar, O. (2010). Fear and shame in an Israeli psychoanalyst and his patient: Lessons learned in times of war. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 20, 285–307.
Stewart, T. L., Latu, I. M., & Branscombe, N. R. (2012). White privilege awareness and efficacy to reduce racial inequality improve white Americans’ attitudes toward African Americans. Journal of Social Issues, 68, 11–27.
Suchet, M. (2004). A relational encounter with race. Psychoanalytical Dialog, 14, 22–38.
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (1990). Counseling the culturally different: Theory and practice. New York: Wiley.
Thompson, N. (1993). Anti-discriminatory practice. London: Macmillan.
Ticho, G. (1971). Cultural aspects of transference and countertransference. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 35, 313–334.
Volkan, V. D. (1997). Blood lines: From ethnic pride to ethnic terrorism. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1949). Hate in the counter-transference. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 30, 69–74.
Yovel, Y. (2001). Mindstorm. Keshet (Hebrew): Tel Aviv.
Conflict of interest
The author declares that he has no conflicts to report.
Ethical standard
The author declares that informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study. And no real identifying information about patients is included in the article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Srour, R. Transference and Countertransference Issues During Times of Violent Political Conflict: The Arab Therapist–Jewish Patient Dyad. Clin Soc Work J 43, 407–418 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-015-0525-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-015-0525-6