Teacher-induced countertransference in clinical teaching

Although it is acknowledged that clinical teaching is an interpersonal process that is relational in nature, little has been written regarding the conflicts and feelings that can exist within the student-teacher relationship. The article is a discussion of the concept of countertransference in psychotherapy, specifically as to how it may be applied to understanding clinical teachers' subjective responses to students. The authors present arguments to support the fit between the concept of countertransference and clinical teaching, focusing on the negative effects of a teacher's countertransference in clinical teaching. The implications of the concept of countertransference in clinical nursing education is explored.