To Zip or Not To Zip (One’s Lips), Therapist Self-Disclosure: Ethical and Clinical Considerations

This intermediate-level course explores the subject of therapist self-disclosure with clients and its clinical efficacy. While the analytic tradition and risk management approaches have frowned upon therapist self-disclosure, it has been highly valued and widely used by humanistic, feminist, behavioral, cognitive behavioral and group therapists. It has been viewed as essential in therapy with Latino, African American, Native Americans, and LBGTQI+ clients, along with those having certain religious beliefs. Self-disclosure, as commonly practiced among most non-analytically oriented therapists, has been found to increase clients’ trust and enhance clients’ reciprocal self-disclosure. Most importantly, therapist self-disclosure has been shown to enhance therapeutic alliance, the best predictor of therapeutic outcome. This course reviews theoretical rationale, extent, timing, content, context and other relevant factors determining the efficacy of therapist self-disclosure. Self-disclosure that is inappropriate, excessive, or not done for the benefit of the client, can be unethical and even harmful. This course also discusses the issues of therapists’ rights and limitations to online privacy.

The course consists of four articles. The first defines and explains therapists’ self-disclosure, identifies the different types, and discusses its clinical utility and ethical considerations. It also uses older popular movies (e.g., What About Bob, Good Will Hunting) to discuss the clinical and ethical issues involved in self-disclosure. The second article examines how therapist self-disclosure or nondisclosure of sexuality impacts the therapeutic relationship regardless of sexual orientation. The third article, “The Ideal of the Anonymous Analyst and the Problem of Self-Disclosure,” provides a refreshing and inspiring critique of the traditional analytic negative view of therapist self-disclosure and looks at how it can effectively be utilized in psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy. Although written from an analytical perspective, the article raises many salient points regarding underlying assumptions about the therapeutic relationship and whether to self-disclose. The final article provides an overview of complexities around internet disclosures pertaining to therapists’ and clients’ rights.