Therapist self-disclosure : a current look at therapists\u27 attitudes and practices : a project based upon an independent investigation

This study was undertaken to examine the current views of therapist selfdisclosure among clinicians practicing in the field today. The study examined what factors effect self-disclosure, such as a therapist\u27s years of experience, the population they are working with and their own experience in therapy. Therapists who participated had to have a minimum of five years working in the mental health field. Sixty-two therapists participated by filling out an anonymous survey. Therapists rated how often they used self-disclosure. Next therapists answered questions regarding how and when they decided to use self-disclosure and what their own experiences were with self-disclosure in their training programs and personal therapy. The major finding of the study was that the majority of therapists use selfdisclosure at some point. This finding substantiated findings from previous literature that therapist self-disclosure is a tool that is utilized in the field. Further investigation is needed with a larger sample to gain more insight into how this powerful is used in the field