Specific skills and knowledge are essential for a social worker working with children. Understanding transference and counter-transference is crucial to a healthy therapeutic relationship. Both transference and counter-transference can be evident in any client–therapist relationship, but are especially important in working with children because of a common instinct among adults to protect and nurture the young. The projection or relocation of one’s feelings about one person onto another, otherwise known as transference, is a common response by children (Gil, 1991). Counter-transference, a practitioner’s own emotional response to a child, is also common.

For this Discussion, review the Malawista (2004) article. ATTACHED

Post your explanation why transference and counter-transference are so common when working with children. Then, identify some strategies you might use to address both transference and counter-transference in your work with children.

Support your posts with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.