ABSTRACT
The understanding of countertransference is largely based on clinical settings where action is restricted to talking and making interpretations. Management on the other hand is based on a wide range of actions, albeit hopefully thoughtful actions. The central part of this chapter is an account of a management problem in a forensic mental health service. The description of the way this problem is presented to a management workshop tries to highlight different ways in which countertransference can be expressed and how countertransference can affect thinking. The primary task of managers includes providing a setting in which clinicians can continue to remain in contact with their patients. An example of a presentation from the workshop, disguised for reasons of confidentiality, illustrates a number of issues from the point of view of both the management task and the value of understanding countertransference. Thus, the managers should be ready to talk through issues and seek to be less dominated by fears of failure.
