A lelkész egészségének összetevői és lelkigondozói hivatásának veszélyeztetettsége a viszontáttétel jelensége által
Components of Clergy Health and the Challenges Posed by Countertransference1 Phenomena in Pastoral Care

Summary/Abstract: In companies, institutions and organizations the health and well-being of the workforce is very important for overall success. This is even more so in the case of churches, where the well-being of the ministers is one of the many reliable signs of how the institution is functioning. Focusing on protecting and enhancing the health of ministers in the church leads to a more successful and authentic way of spreading the good news and helping people in distress and crisis. Ministers encounter many problems and pitfalls in their work of pastoral counseling, and pastoral care in general, as does any other mental health professional. This paper deals with one of the major causes of minister`s poor mental health: countertransference. In order for the minister to remain in touch with all the unresolved confl icts and needs, he/she must be aware of the interferences from the past and present, which consciously and unconsciously interfere with the counseling and pastoral setting. It is important to avoid superimposing personal needs, motifs and confl icts on the verbal and non-verbal messages the minister conveys to the parishioner or client. In order for the minister to deal with the countertransference phenomena, self-monitoring, supervision and personal therapy are of paramount importance.

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