Self Disclosure By Therapists: Ethical & Clinical Considerations course (4 CE Credit Hours)
These questions and many others are answered in this Clinical Update and in much more detail in our Self-Disclosure online course for 4 CE credits.
Self-Disclosure In Psychotherapy: A Recap
Self-disclosure has been one of the most misunderstood constructs in psychotherapy. Somehow the traditional psychoanalytic notion of neutrality and anonymity along with rigid risk-management advice have dominated our thinking on the issue. It overshadows sound and proven behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions, such as modeling and the emphasis of humanistic, feminist or group psychotherapy on authentic relationships.
At its most basic, therapist self-disclosure may be defined as the revelation of personal rather than professional information about the therapist to the client. When therapist disclosure goes beyond the standard professional disclosure of name, credentials, office address, fees, office policies, etc., it becomes self-disclosure.
There is a commonly held belief that self-disclosure is what we tell our clients. In fact there are many forms of self-disclosure, which involve the way we walk, talk, greet, discuss issues, spontaneously react to our clients, dress or decorate our offices, and how we answer or do not answer their questions.
ince the 1990s we have witnessed a cultural shift where celebrities and politicians, such as Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Taylor or Bill Clinton, have accustomed the public to intimate and detailed confessions on national TV. At the same time, Oprah, Dr. Phil and endless realty shows have promoted extreme and often bizarre self-disclosure by people on TV in front of millions of strangers. As a result, modern consumers feel entitled to access all kinds of information about their therapists. With the click of a button they can turn to medical boards, federal medical data banks and a vast array of resources that are ready to provide private information about their therapists. Of course, they can Goggle us and find all kinds of information that we had no idea was even available to the public.
Appropriate and clinically driven self-disclosures are carried out for the clinical benefit of the client. Many disclosures are simply unavoidable. Inappropriate self-disclosures are those that are done primarily for the benefit of the therapist, clinically counter-indicated, burdens the client with unnecessary information or creates a role reversal where a client, inappropriately, takes care of the therapist.
Types Of Self-Disclosure
There are four different types of self-disclosure:
1. Deliberate self-disclosure refers to the therapist’s intentional, verbal or non-verbal disclosure of personal information. It applies to verbal information shared by the therapist and also to deliberate actions, such a placing a certain family photo in the office or making a sigh in response to the client.
There are two types of deliberate self-disclosure: Self-revealing, which is the disclosure of information by therapist about themselves, and self-involving, which involves therapist’s personal reactions to client and to occurrences during sessions.>
2. Unavoidable self-disclosure includes a wide range of possibilities, such as therapist’s gender, age and physics, place of practice, tone of voice, pregnancy, foreign or any accent, stuttering, visible tattoos, obesity and many forms of disability, such as paralysis, blindness, deafness or an apparent limp. Therapists also reveal themselves by their manner of dress, hairstyle, use of make-up, jewelry, perfume or after shave, facial hair, wedding or engagement rings, or the wearing of a cross, Star of David or any other symbol. Therapists who practice from their homes disclose extensive information, such as economic status, information about the family and pets, sometimes information about sexual orientation, hobbies, habits, neighbors, community and much more. Therapists who practice in small or rural communities must all contend with extensive self-disclosure of their personal lives by virtue of the setting. Non-verbal cues or body language (i.e., a raised eyebrow or flinch) are also sources of self-disclosure that are not always under the therapist’s full control. Even not answering the client’s questions about the therapist’s personal life is considered a form of self-disclosure.
3. Accidental self-disclosure occurs when there are spontaneous or unconscious verbal or non-verbal reactions during a session. Also included are unplanned meetings outside the office.
4. A client’s deliberate actions are potentially rich sources that can reveal personal information about the therapist. Of course, the prime example is in the movie, What About Bob? A client can initiate inquiries about their therapist by conducting a simple Web search. Such searches can reveal a wide range of professional and personal information, such as family history, family tree, volunteer activities, criminal records, community and recreational involvement, political affiliations and much more. Therapists’ online biographies or professional resumes may also reveal significant information about the therapist. A client’s deliberate spying on their therapist can reveal a significant amount of private and personal information.
Self-Disclosure & Therapeutic Orientations
The attitude towards therapeutic self-disclosure is closely related to the therapist’s primary theoretical orientation.
Self-Disclosure With Different Populations
Therapists working with different populations have different rationales for self-disclosure:
To Zip Or Not To Zip?