ABSTRACT
Therapeutic self-disclosure (TSD) is under-emphasized in clinical training and supervision. Research consistently suggests that trainees tend to be overly cautious and reluctant to disclose or bring the subject up in supervision. Trainees may therefore become rigid in their efforts to appease supervisors and/or practice fidelity to certain models, and possibly miss opportunities to disclose to clients in service of building healing relationships. For these reasons, it is recommended that supervisors tell trainees directly that therapists can and do self-disclose intentionally, teach trainees about the intricacies of clinical thinking and how they apply specifically to making TSD decisions, and emphasize and instruct on the technique and benefits of self-involving and positive emotions disclosures. Trainees are likely to benefit from supervisor-guided exploration about how certain clients may be affected by TSDs of various types, put forth at different time points in the relationship, and with consideration of the client’s history of early relationships and object relations. Further, trainees are likely to find it informative to learn about the common factors of maximally ethically appropriate and helpful TSDs as discussed in prior chapters of this text.
