Research on countertransference within groups run on psychoanalytical-psychotherapy principles with chronically psychotic inpatients showed a consistency of countertransference feelings in different facilitators at different phases of the groups. The phases resembled those encountered in bereavement. The strength of the countertransference in facilitators of groups may hinder the sharing of the experience and may result in unwanted effects on the staff, including physical illness. This paper emphasizes the importance of dealing adequately with countertransference in staff treating severely psychotic patients.
