ABSTRACT
Arguments for and against therapeutic self-disclosure (TSD) most often relate to the potential for rapport building and boundary approaching with potential to lead to more serious forms of boundary violation. For these reasons, therapists are advised to reflect upon the motivations to or not to self-disclose in various clinical circumstances. It is not only inappropriate to over-disclose, irrelevantly disclose, or disclose without ample consideration of the client’s prior history of relationships or present needs from therapy, but also to avoid disclosure in spite of potential benefits detailed in the next chapter of this text. From the ethical literature emerges the advice that therapists must strive to meet clients’ needs from a professionally boundaried relationship by reflecting carefully on their motivations to disclose, first consulting about their decisions, and thereby approaching TSD scenarios with a forethinking mindset likely to engender deeper and lasting outcomes. It is expected that self-aware and well-attuned therapists are likely to self-disclose judiciously, appropriately, briefly, with content and a level of intimacy appropriate to the client’s needs, and with a quick return of focus from the therapist to the client. This perspective emerges from the scholarly literature on the subject of TSD ethics.
