Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure is broadly defined as a therapist's communication of personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions to reveal personal aspects of himself or herself to a client. Specifically, it refers to the disclosure of one's professional background, such as training and practice, personal life circumstances, personal reactions, and feelings about the client, as well as the admission of mistakes made in therapy. Dating back to Sigmund Freud, who is credited with the discovery and study of psychoanalytic psychology, self-disclosure is seen by many therapists as a contamination of the therapeutic process. In contrast, feminists and multiculturalists advocate the appropriate use of therapist self-disclosure as an essential component of working with women and individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds. The conflict between the two camps has created an ethical ...