The RFP-C Triangle of Conflict: Listening to Countertransference Helps Listening to Children With Disruptive Behaviors

Countertransference is universal in the treatment of children with disruptive behaviors. Clinicians must be aware of their countertransference in order to use those feelings as therapeutically as possible. Understanding their countertransference can help clinicians understand and address the defensive aspects of disruptive behaviors that protect children from consciously experiencing painful emotions. Regulation-focused psychotherapy for children (RFP-C), the first manualized psychodynamic treatment for children with disruptive behaviors, uses the RFP-C triangle of conflict as a heuristic to help clinicians reflect on their countertransference, address children's emotional dysregulation, and guide parents to curiosity and a deeper understanding of their child's behavior. A composite case vignette illustrates the triangle's usefulness in meeting challenges of countertransference as well as listening to children when they can express emotions via only actions.