Social workers are repeatedly confronted with extremely entrenched situations in their daily interactions with people in need and those under their protection. It often happens that communication with the client is stuck in a seemingly unsolvable knot, preventing any targeted approach to the respective problem. The thesis of this study is that in such cases, certain fundamental assumptions and therapy models of psychoanalysis can be used very profitably. Specifically, the author addresses the applicability of Freud's theory of "transference and countertransference" within the context of social work. In addition to a detailed explanation of the theoretical model and its possible forms of application in practice, an empirical survey illustrates the current state of knowledge and experience in this regard.