Transference and Countertransference in Addressing Islamophobia in Clinical Practice

Abstract

This chapter discusses the clinical manifestations of Islamophobia within mental health settings and how clinicians can transform awkward or even negative encounters into opportunities for therapeutic advancement. Islamophobia has been defined as 'indiscriminate negative attitudes or emotions directed at Islam or Muslims'. The chapter defines and discusses Islamophobia, offering examples of its detrimental effects on mental health. It also presents case vignettes on how Islamophobia can manifest through common forms of transference and countertransference whenever a patient or clinician is perceived to be Muslim. Finally, the chapter uses the Cultural Formulation Interview supplementary module on the patient-clinician relationship to organize practical strategies for clinicians to respond to such psychological reactions constructively. Clinicians may find questions from the Cultural Formulation Interview supplementary module on the patient-clinician relationship to be helpful in engaging curiously with patients. Patients and clinicians may walk into sessions with a predisposition toward Islamophobia, but the therapeutic encounter that sensitively confronts interpersonal differences in identity can become a forum of personal transformation for both parties. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)