A client tells you that they feel you care about them and will protect them. This is an example of which phenomenon?

• A. Catharsis
• B. Empathy
• C. Self-efficacy
• D. Transference

Answer: (D)

Transference occurs when a client unconsciously projects feelings about significant people from their past onto the clinician. In this case, the client saying they feel you care about them and will protect them reflects shifting those caregiver or authority-related emotions onto you within the therapeutic relationship. This is different from empathy, which is the clinician’s ability to understand and share the client’s feelings, not the client’s perception of the clinician. Catharsis is about emotional release, and self-efficacy is the client’s belief in their own abilities—neither explains this relational dynamic. Recognizing transference helps you navigate boundaries and use the insight to support therapeutic work.