Transference occurs when a client directs feelings toward the therapist that are really tied to other people.

• A. Displacement
• B. Countertransference
• C. Projection
• D. Transference

Answer: (D)

This item tests recognizing when a client redirects feelings from significant people in their life onto the therapist. Transference is the phenomenon where unresolved emotions, attitudes, and desires toward important figures—often parents or other caregivers—are unconsciously directed at the therapist. An example would be a client who treats the therapist as a critical parent and becomes anxious or defiant, or who seeks the therapist’s approval as if they were seeking a parent’s approval. The key here is that the feelings originate outside the therapy relationship and are aimed at the therapist as a stand-in for those other people. Understanding this helps the counselor interpret patterns and address underlying relationship dynamics in therapy. For contrast, displacement involves shifting emotions from one target to a different, usually safer one; projection is attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to others; and countertransference is the therapist’s own emotional reactions to the client.