Client experiences of therapist self-disclosure

This qualitative study aimed to enhance our understanding of therapist self-disclosure from the client perspective. Basic qualitative inquiry was used to investigate experiences of 9 participants who underwent individual psychotherapy and whose therapist revealed information about their personal life and experiences. Participants described their disclosure experiences during a minimally-structured open-ended interview ranging from 50 minutes to 2 hours in duration. An analysis was conducted using verbatim transcripts of audiotaped interviews. Results are presented in three separate but inter-related papers, each addressing a specific aspect of therapist disclosure supported by the client perspective. The first paper focuses on client representations of disclosing therapists and their impact on the therapeutic relationship. Positive and negative influences on the relationship were categorized into 4 themes: engagement, equalizing effects, openness, and attunement, indicating potential significance for engaging clients in therapy, establishing an egalitarian relationship, fostering the dyadic effect, and conveying attunement to client needs and the therapeutic process. The second paper details hindering and beneficial disclosure experiences of 4 participants using a case summary format and identifies client expectations and disclosure delivery as influential to perceptions of therapist qualities, the therapeutic relationship, and therapy process. These findings emphasize the importance of a responsiveness approach by practitioners and practical implications are discussed. The final paper addresses the ongoing debate regarding therapist disclosure and therapy boundaries, professional qualities, and the therapist's role. Therapist disclosure either enhances or diminishes client perception of the therapist's professional qualities and can, but does not necessarily, compromise client-therapist boundaries. Although cautious use of disclosure is advised in light of potential negative effects, the client perspective indicates there are contexts for which these conservative views may not apply. Study limitations and considerations for future research are discussed.