Can Therapists Ever Self-Disclose? Yes. Therapist self-disclosure can be a powerful therapeutic tool, but self-disclosure is most definitely an advanced therapeutic skill. Good training programs teach therapists about the timing and the technique for self-disclosure.
According to Zur (2010), one of the most cited examples of inappropriate self-disclosures are when practitioners discuss their own personal problems and hardships with their clients with no clinical rationale or purpose.
Some of these topics include feeling incompetent; making mistakes; getting caught off guard by fee entanglements; becoming enraged at patients; managing illness; understanding sexual arousal and impulses; praying with patients as part of therapy; feeling ashamed; being fired; and not knowing what to do.
Done supportively, silence can exert some positive pressure on the client to stop and reflect. Non-verbal signals of patience and empathy by the therapist can encourage the client to express thoughts and feelings that would otherwise be covered up by too much anxious talk. Sympathetic silence can signal empathy.
Talk about things not related to why you're there. Make sexual comments or advances. Touch you inappropriately. Make plans with you outside the session that don't relate to your mental health.
Sharing personal experiences or views that violate a client's value system may threaten the client's trust in the counselor as an appropriate source of help, Too much counselor self-disclosure can blur the boundaries in the professional relationship.
Therapists are required by law to disclose information to protect a client or a specific individual identified by the client from “serious and foreseeable harm.” That can include specific threats, disclosure of child abuse where a child is still in danger, or concerns about elder abuse.
Four main categories for disclosure include observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs (Hargie, 2011).
What Is Inappropriate Or Excessive Self-Disclosure? As was previously mentioned, inappropriate or excessive self-disclosure is a form of malpractice that occurs when a therapist speaks about their own personal history or experiences without justification during a session with a patient.
Another risk is that the other person will gain power in the relationship because of the information they possess. Finally, too much self-disclosure or self-disclosure that comes too early in a relationship can damage the relationship. Thus, while self-disclosure is useful, it can also be damaging to a relationship.
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.
All therapists are legally required to maintain confidentiality for their clients. Confidentiality means that a therapist cannot confirm or deny even treating the client if someone asks. Furthermore, they cannot discuss any revealing contact information, such as a client's name or demographics, outside of the session.
Any time when the client poses an imminent danger to themselves or others where breaking therapist confidentiality would be necessary to resolve the danger. Any time when the therapist suspects child, elder, or dependent adult abuse.
Can Therapists Ever Self-Disclose? Yes. Therapist self-disclosure can be a powerful therapeutic tool, but self-disclosure is most definitely an advanced therapeutic skill. Good training programs teach therapists about the timing and the technique for self-disclosure.
As a client, you are allowed to ask your therapist just about anything. And, it is possible that the therapist will not or cannot answer the question for a variety of reasons. Some counselors believe strongly in being a "blank screen" or "mirror" in therapy.
Therapists & counsellors expect trust in the sense that both parties understand and are committed to spend every session building it. The most critical component of trust is honesty, so consider being upfront about the fact that you do not trust a therapist 100% with certain information to be good practice at honesty.
According to new research, 72 percent of therapists surveyed felt friendship toward their clients. 70 percent of therapists had felt sexually attracted to a client at some point; 25 percent fantasized about having a romantic relationship.
Client-therapist friendships can be unethical, according to codes of ethics from many bodies that govern therapists, including the American Psychological Association [APA]. By becoming friends with a client, a therapist can risk disciplinary action from governing bodies or losing licensure.
Your therapist's relationship with you exists between sessions, even if you don't communicate with each other. She thinks of your conversations, as well, continuing to reflect on key moments as the week unfolds. She may even reconsider an opinion she had or an intervention she made during a session.
According to Laura Osinoff, executive director of the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in Manhattan, “On average, you can expect to spend one to three years [in therapy] if you are having, for example, relationship problems.
People choose therapists for a variety of reasons. While age doesn't always factor into the decision, many patients say it matters. To make progress in therapy, you need to trust the person taking notes on you, and feel comfortable sharing private details with them.
Therapists are people just like you
Most therapists entered the mental health field because they had to work on themselves or they experienced a life-changing event in the past. Therefore, they may be drawn to clients who can relate to their circumstances.