ABSTRACT
Self-disclosure in psychotherapy and counseling is defined as the revelation of personal rather than professional information by a therapist to a client. Generally, when therapist disclosure goes beyond the standard, most basic professional disclosure of name, credentials, office address, fees, emergency contacts, cancellation policies, and so on, it is considered self-disclosure (Farber, 2006; Stricker & Fisher, 1990; Zur, 2007). Psychotherapists often narrowly view self-disclosure as information of a personal nature that they intentionally and verbally reveal to their clients. They do not realize that self-disclosure encompasses vastly more than intentional verbal disclosure. In the most general terms, therapist self-disclosure can be intentional, unintentional, or accidental; verbal or nonverbal; or avoidable or unavoidable. Although the therapist initiates some disclosures, the client or a third party initiates others. All of the above types of disclosures can be gathered under the umbrella of “therapist self-disclosure,” as they all disclose nonprofessional information to the client about the “self” of the therapist, regardless of how the information came to the attention of the client. Some personal information about the therapist may be available to the client without the therapist’s knowledge or approval. In this Internet era the disclosure of information about therapists and the availability of such information to clients have become rather broad, extensive, and complex. As this chapter argues, Internet technologies have redefined the concept, meaning, and application of self-disclosure in psychotherapy.
