About this webinar
Date: December 7, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
Facilitator: Natalie Zlodre Choy, MSW, RSW.
CE hours: 6.5
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers
- Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, family doctors
- Direct Service Workers: drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers
Level of training: Introductory
Client age category: For professionals who work with clients over the age of 18
Please note: Some of the material in this training is also covered in Certificate in trauma counselling for mental health professionals: Level 1.
Description: Trauma that is unhealed, unresolved and unintegrated into a healthy balance within the self has the potential to be repeated, reenacted, acted out, projected or externalized in relationships.
Working with human suffering on a daily basis and being sensitive to the despair, frustration and fear embodied in clients is an integral aspect of the work by mental health professionals. In order to be effective, professionals need to be aware of the clients and their own unconscious self-protective reactions (transference/projection). A professional who is unaware or unresponsive to countertransference experiences can be thrown into a cycle of reactivity – both within the specific client dynamic and within one’s own psyche.
In this webinar, we will understand the core features of the metapsychological phenomena: transference, projection, projective identification, and countertransference. We will use real case examples from direct service settings to illustrate the complex dialectic of balancing empathic attunement with experiences of empathic strain.
Learning objectives:
- Understand key self-protective strategies that clients use (transference, projection).
- Understand key self-protective strategies that professionals use (countertransference).
- Apply skills in “catching,” repairing and integrating the metapsychological phenomena.
Register now to strengthen your ability to hold space without absorbing the weight.
What our learners have to say about this training
“As a Registered Psychotherapist, I have come to understand that the safe and effective use of self is at the very heart of clinical work. It is both an ethical requirement and a therapeutic necessity, shaping every interaction we have with the children, youth, and families we serve. At Compass, we see this not only as an individual clinician’s responsibility, but as an organizational cornerstone of safe, accountable, and trauma-informed care. The training offered by SickKids on transference, countertransference, projection, and projection identification provides a deep, practical framework for recognizing and working with the unconscious dynamics that naturally arise in therapy. This is not abstract theory—it is foundational training that equips both new and experienced clinicians with the awareness, humility, and skill needed to engage in truly reflective practice. As CEO of Compass, I have witnessed the profound impact this training has had on our clinicians and ultimately on the quality of care delivered in our community. It has become a core part of our agency’s learning culture, allowing us to build a workforce that is attuned, safe, and effective in its therapeutic use of self.”
– Mark Fraser, MA, RP, CEO of Compass CYMH Lead Agency for Sudbury and Manitoulin, Attendee, Transference and countertransference: Training for mental health professionals, facilitated by Natalie Zlodre, MSW, RSW.
“I have quite a bit of training and knowledge in this area however I haven’t thought of it from a supervisor stance and I really appreciated that piece of this training. It is extremely applicable and beneficial.”
– Jasmine De Fina, Human Trafficking Specialist, Attendee, Transference and countertransference in direct service work, facilitated by Natalie Zlodre, MSW, RSW.
Continuing Education (CE) Information: SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to offer continuing education (CE) hours. Full-day programs equal six CE hours; half-day programs equal three CE hours; for less than half-day programs, one hour of programming equals one CE hour. SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute maintains responsibility for the programs.
Other licensing boards and professional organizations will grant continuing education credits for attendance at their own discretion; participants will need to submit the course outline and Certificate of Participation for their consideration.
Registration closes
If registration has closed and you're still interested in joining this course, please contact Mary Anne at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca
Accessibility
We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. If you have any accessibility requirements (automatic transcripts, closed-captioning, ASL interpreters, advanced access to program materials), please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.
Photography is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the content is a model, except where indicated.