ABSTRACT
Some patients enter therapy with an intensity of feeling and need that touches the therapist much more deeply and on a more personal level than do others. This can and should raise questions in the psychotherapist’s mind about what this intensity of feeling means. There can be a legitimate concern that the response is part of an unprofessional and ultimately unhelpful emotional over-involvement with the patient. This may be due to some neurotic conflict within the therapist which the patient unwittingly fits into. In the best interests of the patient, the therapist must therefore always be prepared to think long and hard about such emotional responses, privately and in discussion with colleagues.
