The “me too” decision: An analog study of therapist self‐disclosure of psychological problems

Abstract

Objectives: To test the exploratory hypothesis that client perceptions of therapists are most favorable when therapists self-disclose their own personal experience with the same psychological problem to a moderate (vs. none, mild, or extreme) extent.Method: Undergraduate participants (N = 104; 63.5% female) were randomly assigned to read one of the four vignettes, which differed only in the extent to which the therapist disclosed their own personal experience with the same presenting problem (none, mild, moderate, or extreme). Participants then responded to questions assessing their perceptions of the therapist. Results:The data generally supported the hypothesis. The moderate disclosure condition yielded the most favorable client perceptions, which differed significantly from those yielded by the no disclosure condition.Conclusions: Despite limitations and need for replication, this study provides perhaps the first empirical data regarding the effect of the extent, rather than the mere presence or absence, of therapist self-disclosure regarding personal psychological experiences.

To disclose or not to disclose? Peer workers impact on a culture of safe disclosure for mental health professionals with lived experience.

“…These experiences are also dependent on the extent of and perceived intention behind the disclosure (Farber, 2006; McCormic et al, 2018). Although a high percentage of psychotherapists acknowledge using self-disclosure with their clients, few openly talk about the practice with colleagues (Harris et al, 2016; Henretty & Levitt, 2010).…”

“Me too, a long time ago”: Therapist self-disclosure of past or present psychological problems similar to those of the client.

“…Participants were randomly assigned to one of the eight vignettes. Each vignette was followed by a questionnaire adapted from that used originally in Fox et al (1984); and later used in Somers et al (2014) and McCormic et al (2019). Using a Likert-type scale, participants were asked to rate the therapist 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ) on the following characteristics, each of which was analyzed as a separate dependent variable (and is listed in full in Table 1): likeable, sincere, warm, able to get along with most clients, capable of understanding clients, considerate of client’s needs, would see a similar therapist, has a strong working relationship, and psychotherapy will be successful.…”

“…Three multiple-choice manipulation check questions, as used in McCormic et al (2019), were used to ensure the participants understood the vignettes and were paying attention. One question asked what type of professional the client visited, a second asked about the problem that the client discussed, and a third asked about the time period during which the therapist may have experienced a psychological disorder per their disclosure.…”

“…In another analog study, Somers et al (2014) found that, compared to therapists who did not self-disclose, therapists who self-disclosed having the same psychological problem as clients (PTSD, depression, or alcohol dependency) were perceived as more likeable, warm, sincere, and likely to create strong therapy relationships. In a similar analog study, McCormic et al (2019) furthered the "me too" question examined by Somers et al (2014) by focusing on the extent of the self-disclosure, rather than its simple presence or absence. They found that therapists who made a moderately extensive self-disclosure were viewed more favorably than therapists who made a mildly or extremely extensive self-disclosure, and that therapists who made a disclosure of any extent were viewed at least slightly more favorably than therapists who did not disclose at all.…”

Therapist self-disclosure: Let’s tackle the elephant in the room

“…In their analysis, instances of both TSD and immediacy were followed by distinctive positive therapeutic effects (Hill et al, 2018). One study that was designed to assess the extent of disclosure between none, mild, moderate and extreme, of a similar mental health condition to the client, showed that a moderate degree of disclosure yielded most favorable client perceptions (McCormic et al, 2019). Additionally, research-based suggestions have been made to guide therapists about judicious use of TSD (Knox & Hill, 2003).…”