Exploring Personality and Situational Correlations to Nondisclosure in Clinical Supervision

Nondisclosure relates to withholding information by the clinical psychotherapy trainee which might have an impact on therapeutic work and supervision. A current review of existing literature reveals a gap in the knowledge related to how personality traits might be associated with a trainee's tendency to nondisclose material. This study explores the relationships between personality, situational factors, and nondisclosure in clinical psychotherapy supervision. A mixed-method quantitative/qualitative research design was employed to collect information on personality, trainee perceptions on situational factors of the supervisory relationship, and the reported prevalence of nondisclosure among doctoral-level clinical psychology students at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) - Chicago Campus. Results revealed the ubiquitous presence of nondisclosure in supervision and significant correlations among personality and situational factors and nondisclosure. These findings will build awareness on the importance of external and internal influences on nondisclosure in an effort to create a more effective clinical learning environment.