Race, Identity and the Transference/Countertransference: A Mixed –Race Patient and a Mixed-Race Therapist- A Single Case Study

This thesis is a single case-study of a child and adolescent psychotherapist working with a fourteen year old female adolescent patient of similar mixed ethnic background. The thesis presents the completed two year therapeutic work which included periods of intensive therapy (3-4 times-a-week work) following less intensive work.
The patient’s early life was marked by witnessing parental domestic violence and parents who divorced. She subsequently struggled with maintaining relationships and presented race and gender identity ambiguity. She had consistently self-harmed and overdosed since the age of thirteen. The psychotherapist relied heavily on his countertransference in order to better understand and make sense of the patient’s inner world, particularly regarding issues of identity, race, gender and attachment.
The primary research method used to analyse processed clinical session notes was Grounded Theory Method.