Clinical Practice SWES Exam 2025 – Complete Prep Resource

The term used to describe a client's resistance to expressing repressed material during therapy is indeed resistance. This phenomenon occurs when clients unconsciously employ defense mechanisms to avoid confronting painful memories, emotions, or thoughts that arise during the therapeutic process. Resistance can manifest in various forms, such as a reluctance to speak about certain topics, procrastination in attending sessions, or displaying discomfort when particular issues are mentioned.

Understanding resistance is essential for therapists, as it often indicates areas that require attention and exploration. By recognizing and addressing resistance in therapy, therapists can help clients work through their defenses, leading to greater self-awareness and, ultimately, healing.

The other options—transference, counter-transference, and displacement—are related concepts in therapy. Transference refers to the client's projection of feelings about significant people in their life onto the therapist, while counter-transference involves the therapist's personal feelings toward the client that can influence the therapy process. Displacement is a defense mechanism where an individual transfers feelings or reactions from one object to another, often less threatening. While these concepts can also play a role in the therapeutic process, resistance specifically relates to the challenge of confronting repressed material.