Resolving Idealizing Transference Worksheet

Preliminaries

According to the American Psychological Association, “idealizing transference if activated in treatment, results in the patient experiencing the analyst or therapist as a powerful and benevolent parental figure. When engaged in this form of transference, the patient feels protected and able to share in the power and capabilities of the therapist, much as a young child idealizes their parents and feels protected by them. “

Worksheet

In the first column are activities related to therapy and idealizing transference. Please encircle the appropriate answer in the second column. You may also respond in the third column if your answer is “No”.

Activity	Have you experienced the said activity?	If your answer is NO, what should you do about it?
Part I- Awareness
Someone oriented me about this Idealizing Transference as having a potentially harmful side effect.	YES NO N/A
I have been educated not to unintentionally encourage the development of transference	YES NO N/A

Part II- Assessment
I have checked on the client’s history of idealising previous therapies.	YES NO N/A
I have checked whether the client is primarily in need of someone to care for him rather than someone. to support him through therapy.	YES NO N/A

Part III- Permission
I have secured a signed Informed Consent and have oriented the counselee about the risks of the therapy having negative effects such as transference.	YES NO N/A

Part IV- Regular review of the process
I have given the counselee the time to discuss transference issues.	YES NO N/A
If the counselee has previous transference issues, I asked if the feelings are the same as those in the past.	YES NO N/A

Part V- Boundary Setting
Prevented any boundary breach that made the counselee feel that he was being treated in a special manner.	YES NO N/A
If there was a need to extend a boundary, I made sure that the counselee knew it was normal in the practice.	YES NO N/A

Part VI- Prohibited Behaviors
I did not have disclosures that drew out sympathy from the counselee.	YES NO N/A
I did not have disclosures that gave the counselee an idea that we were soul mates.	YES NO N/A
I did not have disclosures of erotic feelings.	YES NO N/A
I did not have disclosures that gave an idea of a future relationship beyond a therapist-counselee one.	YES NO N/A

Part VII- During actual Idealizing Transference
Talked about it cooperatively.	YES NO N/A
We treat it as a piece of information helpful in future sessions.	YES NO N/A
Elevated the matter to clinical supervision.	YES NO N/A
Sought external experts if the transference has persisted.	YES NO N/A
Informed the counselee of terminating the therapy if transference persists.	YES NO N/A

Reference:

https://dictionary.apa.org/idealizing-transference

https://theprofessionalpractitioner.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/transference.pdf

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-therapy/201206/clients-guide-transference

You can download more Mental Health worksheets here.

Please note: There may be a more up-to-date and editable version of this worksheet available here which may be more suitable to present to clients if you are a therapist or to use in a classroom as a teacher or guidance counselor.