Coasting in the Countertransference - Practical Clinical Insight

Our review of Coasting in the Countertransference identifies it as a focused clinical resource for psychoanalysts and advanced trainees who want practical guidance on using countertransference deliberately in treatment. Irwin Hirsch argues that countertransference can be a productive tool when addressed rather than ignored, and this book's core value is its insistence on moving from awareness to intervention. Readers seeking concrete, reflective material on how analysts often 'coast' and how to interrupt that pattern will find the book directly relevant to clinical practice.

Key Features

• Argument: Presents the central claim that countertransference always has potential therapeutic value, encouraging clinicians to see these reactions as resources rather than mere obstacles.
• Clinical focus: Emphasizes common analyst tendencies to maintain ineffective patterns, helping readers recognize when treatment momentum is stalled.
• Reflective guidance: Offers a framework for turning conscious awareness of problematic participation into active steps that move therapy toward stated analytic goals.
• Scholarship recognition: Winner of the 2009 Goethe Award for Psychoanalytic Scholarship, which signals its contribution to the field of psychoanalytic thought.
• Practical tone: Written for clinicians who want usable insight rather than abstract theory, helping translate countertransference recognition into therapeutic action.

Who It's For

Coasting in the Countertransference is best for practicing psychoanalysts, psychodynamic psychotherapists, and advanced trainees who already have a foundation in analytic technique and want to deepen their use of countertransference in treatment. The book is suited to readers who appreciate reflective clinical discussion and who seek to change habitual therapeutic responses.

Those new to psychoanalytic theory or looking for a step-by-step manual for beginning therapists may want a more introductory text first, since this volume assumes familiarity with basic analytic concepts and focuses on enhancing established clinical practice.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear emphasis on turning countertransference into a therapeutic tool, which is directly useful in clinical sessions.
• Highlights a widespread clinical blind spot - the tendency of analysts to 'coast' - increasing practitioner self-awareness.
• Recognized scholarship that lends credibility to the book's arguments and clinical observations.

Cons

• The book presumes prior familiarity with psychoanalytic terminology, making it less accessible to absolute beginners.

Specifications

Our Verdict

Coasting in the Countertransference is a concise, clinically minded book that challenges analysts to stop maintaining unhelpful participation and to use countertransference productively. It is good value for clinicians who want reflective, applicable insight into therapeutic practice and who are ready to translate awareness into intervention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book theoretical or practical?
The book blends clinical theory with practical guidance, focusing on how analysts can actively use countertransference rather than merely conceptualize it.

Who authored the book?
Irwin Hirsch is the author, offering his clinical perspective within the Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series.

Has it received recognition?
Yes, it won the 2009 Goethe Award for Psychoanalytic Scholarship, indicating its contribution to the field.