Therapist self-disclosure

Question 1

What is self-disclosure?

Answer 1

The revelation of personal rather than professional information about the therapist to the client.

Question 2

What is standard professional disclosure?

Answer 2

Name, credentials, office address, fees, office policies, and the like.

Question 3

Four kinds of self-disclosure

Answer 3

Deliberate
Unavoidable
Accidental
Clients’ deliberate actions

Question 4

Deliberate self-disclosure

Answer 4

therapists’ intentional, verbal or non-verbal disclosure of personal information.

Question 5

Unavoidable self-disclosure

Answer 5

age, gender, pregnancy, tattoos, jewelry (cross or Star of David), SES if practicing at home, bumper stickers, etc

Question 6

Accidental self-disclosure

Answer 6

incidental (unplanned) encounters outside the office, spontaneous verbal or non-verbal reactions, or other planned and unplanned occurrences that happen to reveal therapists’ personal information to their clients.

Question 7

Clients’ deliberate actions

Answer 7

stalking, spying, web searches.

Question 8

The one therapeutic model that says “no” to self-disclosure

Answer 8

The traditionalists, the Freudians

Question 9

Boundary crossing

Answer 9

Appropriate, beneficial self-disclosure

Question 10

Boundary violation

Answer 10

Inappropriate disclosure made for the benefit of the therapist