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Opening Up: Therapist Self-Disclosure in Theory, Research, and Practice

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Abstract

While most therapists report that they do disclose some information about themselves to their clients, therapist self-disclosure continues to be both controversial and nebulous in clinical theory, research, and practice. This article considers what makes therapist self-disclosure so challenging to define and study and provides an overview of the empirical and theoretical literature. It then concludes with a consideration of therapist self-disclosure in contemporary legal, ethical, and technological contexts of clinical work.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The author would like to acknowledge the insights offered on this topic by Dr. Faye Mishna and the helpful suggestions from anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V4, Canada

    Margaret F. Gibson

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  1. Margaret F. Gibson
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Correspondence to Margaret F. Gibson.

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Gibson, M.F. Opening Up: Therapist Self-Disclosure in Theory, Research, and Practice. Clin Soc Work J 40, 287–296 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0391-4

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