Quotes from Joel Friedman

When a child's needs are not met (because they conflict with those of its caretakers), the child's boundaries become defined by the needs of others, limiting the development of the sense of "self." The child does not learn to experience its own needs; it experiences only the needs of others. This blurs the boundaries between the child and others, ultimately preventing the child from differentiating its own needs from those of others.

Countertransference is described as the therapist's reaction to the patient's transference. Like transference, countertransference is a reflection of earlier events and unresolved conflicts in the therapist's own life that are now "projected" onto the therapy situation.

Because of the nature of sexual exploitation by therapists and the consequences of transference phenomena, it is entirely possible that a victim may not realize that she has been victimized or recognize the extent of the harm within the prescribed period. It is often not until many years later, perhaps after reentering therapy with another therapist, that she comes to understand that she was a victim of exploitation.