House of Games: a cinematic study of countertransference

In this paper we have described how examining the film House of Games can lead to an enriched understanding of the concept of countertransference for both neophyte and experienced psychotherapists. This absorbing film portrays countertransference phenomena from a number of crucial perspectives: predispositions to countertransference, direct and indirect indicators, countertransference in the "totalistic" sense as well as countertransference in the "classical" sense, parallel-process dynamics between therapy and supervision and the value of social and professional support in managing this inevitable burden. Cinema is another method, along with more traditional supervisory and didactic approaches, of assisting therapists to increase their cognitive and affective mastery of countertransference phenomena by encouraging them to analyze their emotional reactions to patients. This is no small task. In summary, we believe that the recognition, analysis and management of countertransference reactions is a necessary and life long professional task for any serious psychotherapist.