The Impatient Therapist: Managed Care and Countertransference

Psychotherapists in managed-care settings feel increased pressures to accomplish their work more quickly. These pressures can influence the conduct of therapy in a number of ways: by decreasing the therapists’ ability to listen, causing premature closure of case formulation, increasing anxiety in both therapist and patient, and reinforcing a view of therapy as commodity. Case illustrations are presented and examined to explore how these pitfalls can be identified and their impact reduced.