The role of our own history in our therapeutic work

Abstract

In this paper I explore questions around the role of the therapist’s own history in their clinical work. Based on my own experiences and those of other practitioners, I look at the way in which recent developments in the field have changed how this is theorised and worked with, influenced by relational psychotherapy and by a greater understanding of the importance of the real relationship alongside the transference relationship. I consider how our own history influences what we emphasise or overlook in the work and how this connects with ideas about countertransference. I discuss issues around self-disclosure in the light of these considerations. I give particular attention to the role of our own adolescent experiences and to how work with adolescents brings these issues into especially sharp focus.