Managing Countertransference with DBT Skills: Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation

In This Post

Types of Countertransference
DBT’s Six Levels of Validation
DBT Skills for Managing Countertransference
Countertransference as an Opportunity for Growth Using DBT
Conclusion
Additional Resources

Types of Countertransference

There are four defined types of countertransference, though each instance will have its own nuances depending on the specific therapist and client.

Positive Countertransference
Positive countertransference is defined as when a therapist develops positive feelings toward a client based on associations with the client and the therapist’s past relationships and experiences. For instance, the client may remind the therapist, consciously or unconsciously, of a family member, friend, or romantic partner. This can lead to attempts to please the client that run counter to the goals of therapy.
Negative Countertransference
This is similar to positive countertransference but with the opposite emotional valence. A client may unknowingly activate the therapist’s emotional triggers, leading to the therapist rejecting or shutting down the client on some level.

The above types refer to the emotional patterns of the therapist. The other two types of countertransference refer to the source of those patterns.

Subjective Countertransference
Subjective countertransference occurs when working with a client stirs up unresolved trauma or issues in the therapist.
Objective Countertransference
In this case, the client’s own problematic patterns and behaviors are the source of countertransference feelings, not the therapist’s personal history. While the clinician would do well to remain aware of their own feelings, this type of countertransference relates directly to the client’s issues and can help point therapy in a helpful direction.

Countertransference should also be differentiated from transference, which refers to when a client projects emotional feelings onto the therapist.

DBT’s Six Levels of Validation

Therapists are sometimes made to confront their own issues through their clients. While the therapist-client relationship positions the therapist as an emotionally stable and centered person, countertransference can challenge that idea. In DBT, radical acceptance means facing reality with all of its imperfections, because avoiding it will perpetuate unresolved issues and lead to more suffering.

Radical acceptance can help therapists grow personally and professionally. It can also counteract burnout and feelings of “not being cut out” for therapy work. Cultivating this mindset can help practitioners take a growth mindset, and has the side benefit of helping their clients do the same thing.

DBT Skills for Managing Countertransference

DBT offers a range of core skills and tactics that can help therapists recognize and untangle countertransference.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is central to DBT and can be a key first step in preventing and working with countertransference. When therapists can observe their feelings and emotions without reacting to them, they can more easily spot countertransference. By labeling their own feelings, therapists can parse where those feelings are coming from and if they are entirely related to the client.

Once countertransference has been identified, the therapist can select additional DBT skills to further address the issue.

Non-Judgmental Stance

This skill works off of mindfulness to observe one’s feelings, reactions, and history without judgment. Countertransference can be a source of shame for therapists who feel they should be “better than that.” A non-judgmental stance can help the therapist take a more productive approach to the situation.

Furthermore, a non-judgmental stance can help the therapist see the client in a more objective light, opening a path toward providing more effective therapy.

Chain Analysis

With this skill, the therapist examines a prompting event that triggered feelings or behaviors of countertransference. From there, they carefully work backwards to determine what happened, their own vulnerability factors that made them react how they did, the links in the chain that created the context for the prompting event, and the consequences of their behavior.

Performing a chain analysis can help disentangle the therapist’s own history and feelings with that of the client. This can help to dissolve countertransference as the therapist recognizes how their own feelings are impacting how they view a particular client.

Check the Facts

In DBT, checking the facts refers to objectively examining the basic facts of an event or situation and whether a particular reaction is warranted. This skill tends to be easier to do quickly than chain analysis, and can serve as a defense against countertransference as it is happening.

Wise Mind

Once countertransference is identified, it may be tempting to try to squash all emotional feelings to take on a fully objective stance. This approach, however, could lead to suppressed feelings and the therapist cutting off parts of their own emotional intelligence.

DBT encourages practitioners to find a synergy between one’s rational and emotional minds, called wise mind. Cultivating wise mind can help therapists bring all of their intelligence and experience to their work without trying to tamp down certain parts. Mindfulness can assist the development of wise mind by helping therapists recognize when they are in that state.

Countertransference as an Opportunity for Growth Using DBT

Overcoming countertransference using DBT skills offers therapists a powerful opportunity for professional growth, deepening both their self-awareness and emotional regulation capacities. DBT skills enable therapists to recognize and name their emotional reactions in session (to themselves) or afterwards, without being overtaken by them. Rather than avoiding or suppressing these responses, therapists learn to examine them with curiosity and clarity, often uncovering unresolved issues, assumptions, or personal vulnerabilities. This reflective process not only protects the therapeutic relationship from unintended bias or reactivity, but also promotes emotional maturity and skill growth in therapy work.

Conclusion

By applying DBT skills to manage countertransference, therapists build resilience and sharpen their ability to stay present and attuned with clients — even when difficult emotions arise. These tools help clinicians challenge distorted thinking, accept discomfort, and act in ways that align with their values and ethical commitments. Over time, this practice fosters a stronger therapeutic presence, greater compassion, and a more mindful, balanced approach to clinical work.