I was sitting in with my wonderful site supervisor while he worked with a couple and about half way through the session realized my breathing had changed. Not only that, but I was getting anxious. To calm myself I took a few deep breaths and was then able to be present with the clients. I was also able to engage in the session with some sitting forward, eye contact, and appropriate reflecting.
Afterwards during supervision I brought up the fact that I had begun to feel anxious when the couple was arguing. My supervisor said "Ah some counter transference for you." I've read about this in all the many texts a master's degree requires, but it really is more a teaching moment for me when I experience it myself. A little light went off in my head and I thought, so that's what it is. And to be honest with myself I think I handled it fairly well. I recognized it in session, was able to collect myself enough to be present, and apparently wasn't overly noticeable enough to distract the clients.
This was indeed a learning experience and now that I'm more aware of how counter transference can affect me, I'll be able to self monitor more easily during sessions. Very grateful for the learning experiences I've had with practicum, so far :)
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