The abusive parent enters the therapeutic experience with much caution and
resistance. It is important that a firm working alliance be established to
increase the patient's interest in the treatment situation and his/her moti
vation for change. The therapist can use the concepts of transference and c
ounter-transference to understand the abusive parent's characterological ma
keup, central psychodynamics, and abusive tendencies. The goals of treatmen
t include establishing a safe, warm, nonjudgemental therapeutic climate in
which the patient can strengthen ego functioning, thus improving reality te
sting, judgment, interpersonal relatedness, and the capacity to delay and t
ame abusive impulses and behavior. This article discusses working with the
abusive parent in therapy from a psychodynamic perspective.