How does a therapist control their emotions while at work?

     Recently, I have been asked the question, "How will you control your own emotions?" This question is referring to when I will work with a client. I have been told that some therapists have to go to their own therapist because they get caught up in the problems of their clients. Necessarily, I do not think that is true. Yet, I have decided to look into it.

     To begin with, I have decided to look into Google for research. Then I came across a link that was titled, "Do therapist hide their emotions during therapy?" Of course, I thought it was similar to my topic. This article explained that therapists do not hide all emotions, but they tend to show the emotions that they believe to be more helpful for the progressing in therapy. This means that if I had a client that made progress with the things we talked about in therapy, then I would show that I was genuinely happy. Although, if the client did not work on making progress, I would not show my frustration that I might feel.

     Therapists are trained to limit "self-disclosure" about their personal thoughts and to manage their "counter-transference" (their emotional reactions to their clients). I have learned at the same time they are trained to be authentic, genuine, warm, and trustworthy. As a proffesional, the therapist does not want to hide or reveal any emotions that can negatively impact the client. If they need to, they will. The job is to not upset the rapport and confidence that sustains the therapist/patient relationship. It's beneficial to show emotions because it can be viewed as if the therapist is not being upfront and honest. For example, if the client is talking about being abused, the therapist may feel anger towards the abuser. If the client knows that the therapist is on his side, he'll feel the trust between the both of them. 

     As for my question, the display of genuine emotions from a therapist is part of the interaction. Yet, it all depends on the therapist. Some may choose to show emotion, and others won't.  In that case, I haven't properly answers my question. So, will I be able to control my emotions? Well, hopefully I'll be trained to limit most of them because I tend to be a very emotional person. At the same time, therapists are people too, and sometimes you'll have an emotional reaction that you simply can't control.

Sources:

“Why We Hide Emotional Pain.” Psychology Today. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201109/why-we-hide-emotional-pain>

“Do Psychotherapists Hide Their Emotions during Therapy?Frequently Asked In.” Do psychotherapists hide their emotions during therapy? Web. 22 Oct. 2015. <https://www.quora.com/do-psychotherapists-hide-their-emotions-during-therapy>