The role of therapist self-disclosure in psychotherapy: A qualitative review

Henretty, Jennifer R.; Levitt, Heidi M.

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.09.004

Cited by 192 publications

(276 citation statements)

References 158 publications

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“…Psychotherapeutic literature reports that self-disclosure is rarely used by therapists with little professional experience (Henretty & Levitt, 2010) and those who perceive their clients as less stable or more symptomatic (Kelly & Rodriguez, 2007). These observations are contradictory to ours.…”

Section: Therapists' Self-disclosurescontrasting

confidence: 93%

Attitudes to professional boundaries among therapists with and without substance abuse history

Pietkiewicz¹,

Skowrońska-Włoch²

2017

Polish Psychological Bulletin

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There is no empirical research exploring how substance abuse therapists perceive and manage their professional role or privacy boundaries. This study explores their attitudes associated with self-disclosure and dual relationships. Ten therapists, five who had recovered (neophytes) and five who had never been substance dependent, shared their work experiences during semi-structured, in-depth interviews, which have been subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. While nonneophytes were generally reluctant to share personal information or establish alternative forms of relationship with current or former clients, neophytes were more open to using self-disclosure and admitted changing professional relationships into friendships. These findings are discussed in relation to ethical codes, training and supervision in substance abuse treatment.

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Section: Therapists' Self-disclosurescontrasting

confidence: 93%

Attitudes to professional boundaries among therapists with and without substance abuse history

Pietkiewicz¹,

Skowrońska-Włoch²

2017

Polish Psychological Bulletin

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“…This was evident in a number of studies across the dataset indicating a shared concern for clients despite their many differences in presenting problems, therapeutic settings and types of therapy. Therapist self-disclosure has previously been found to have a positive effect on clients as research shows they tended to view their therapist as warmer, had a stronger liking for them, and were willing to disclose more in therapy (Henretty & Levitt, 2010). This review adds to these findings as clients described feeling that their relationship with their therapist was more open and connected on a deeper level if the therapist used self-disclosure techniques.…”

Section: Formation Of a Therapeutic Relationship 1-19mentioning

confidence: 86%

The Experience of Forming a Therapeutic Relationship from the Client’s Perspective: A Metasynthesis

Noyce

Simpson

2016

Psychotherapy Research

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Objective: This review aimed to synthesise qualitative research exploring clients' perspectives of forming a therapeutic relationship with their therapist or counsellor. Method:Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnographic approach was used to guide the synthesis of 13 studies meeting inclusion criteria. The quality of each study was rated using the CASP quality rating checklist. Results: Findings demonstrated that clients create a hierarchy of desired therapist characteristics to assess how well the therapy can meet their needs (theme 1: assessing clienttherapist match). The formation of the therapeutic relationship is facilitated by an openness from both the therapist and client (theme 2: facilitating openness) and helps to develop a connection through which the client can be fundamentally understood (theme 3: connecting on a deeper level). Displays of disrespectful or disempowering behaviour generate barriers in the formation of a therapeutic relationship (theme 4: empowerment through respect). Conclusions:The meta-ethnographic approach extended the findings from each individual study to highlight some significant discoveries, including that clients across different settings created a hierarchy of therapist characteristics which were of varying importance to them depending on their perceived needs. Additionally, clients reported that they preferred their therapists to disclose information in order to facilitate the therapeutic relationship.

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“…Psychologists are generally trained not to self-disclose, 4 likely as a result of the nature of the health issues they encounter in practice. 5 In medicine, there is limited empiric work into physician self-disclosure and it remains a controversial topic. 6 Given that general practice encompasses both psychological and physical health issues, it is believed there is likely a grading of self-disclosure made by GPs; such that the sharing of physical issues and experiences is more likely to be accepted, whereas disclosure of psychological issues or experiences is more controversial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physician self-disclosure in primary care: a mixed methods study of GPs’ attitudes, skills, and behaviour

Allen

Arroll

2015

Br J Gen Pract

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The role of therapist self-disclosure in psychotherapy: A qualitative review

Cited by 192 publications

References 158 publications

Attitudes to professional boundaries among therapists with and without substance abuse history

Attitudes to professional boundaries among therapists with and without substance abuse history

The Experience of Forming a Therapeutic Relationship from the Client’s Perspective: A Metasynthesis

Physician self-disclosure in primary care: a mixed methods study of GPs’ attitudes, skills, and behaviour

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