The disclosure of information about one’s self to a client in a psychological setting has been debated for years. Many have argued that therapist self-disclosure hinders treatment, whereas others have suggested that it enhances the effectiveness of therapy (Barrett & Berman, 2001). However, like we hear in class every day, I think it depends. I think that self-disclosure can either be very therapeutic to the client or it could impede treatment but, that is for the therapist to decide. Firstly, what is self-disclosure? Self-disclosure is a term with numerous meanings but can be described as “disclosure of positive versus negative experiences, sharing an opinion, conveyance of demographic data versus divulgence of intimate details, and communication of emotional reactions similar to those of the patient versus dissimilar reactions” (Ziv-Beiman, 2013). These can also be broken down in to seven subcategories as described by Hill and Knox (2002) as biographical facts relating to the therapist’s life and professional training, feelings, insights into past experiences that exemplify what the therapist has learned about herself, strategies the …show more content…
For example, psychodynamic theorists have often argued that self-disclosure is detrimental to treatment because it might interfere with the therapeutic process and it would shift the focus of therapy away from the client (Barrett & Berman, 2001). According to this theory, the therapist is thought to act as a mirror or "blank screen" on which the client 's emotional reactions can be projected, if a therapist reveals personal information during therapy, this therapeutic anonymity could be disrupted (Greenson, 1967). It can also be argued that if a therapist self-discloses information it may negatively affect treatment outcome by exposing therapist weaknesses or vulnerabilities, which could threaten the therapeutic trust and alliance (Barrett & Berman,
Although doctor-patient confidentiality is standard today, a caveat about this privilege is that it does not protect all statements made to therapists and only applies to regularly scheduled appointments. Additionally, if a patient reveals that they intend to harm someone, it is the therapist’s duty to report this fact to the proper authorities.
A promise of confidentiality assures clients that information revealed during counseling will not be shared with others without permission. An individual has the right to choose the time, circumstances, and extent, to which he or she wishes to share or withhold information. Marriage and family therapist have different confidentiality aspects from other counseling areas. Marriage and family therapist mostly have more than one client in a therapeutic relationship, there are different limitations for each individual client. AAMFT Standard II (2015 2.2) states When providing couple, family or group treatment, the therapist does not disclose information outside the treatment context without a written authorization from each individual competent to execute a waiver. Conclusively, counselors may be counseling a couple, group, or family for treatment, each client has their own rights to privacy protection and confidentiality. All counselors must follow specific guidelines when in regards to disclosing information that has potential harm to the client or identified others. If court ordered or third party payers have requested information it is the counselors job to obtain written consent from the client to release information about that
The expectation in the practitioner/client relationship is that any information disclosed will not be shared with others. Confidentiality is emphasized to provide the client with a safe haven in which to share traumatic events or embarrassing personal information about themselves (Krase, 2013). Disclosing this type of sensitive information...
Finally, it may be valuable for some clients to have Suzie’s phone number; however, she should use discretion when providing it. Suzie’s personal therapy style, including providing her phone number, may promote client dependency (Roth & Worthington, 2011, 361). Moreover, it is not Suzie’s responsibility to solve the client’s issues (Roth & Worthington, 2011, 361). If a client has Suzie’s phone number, he or she may be tempted to call when problems arise. Roth & Worthington (2011) assert: “The clinician’s role is to assist clients in assuming responsibility for their own behavior and decisions” (p. 365). In conclusion, proper boundaries play a crucial role in maintaining an appropriate client/clinician relationship (Roth & Worthington, 2011, 361).
...In this specific style, the therapist tends to have the most success in gaining knowledge of the patients feelings of inadequacy, fear of intimacy, and low self esteem.
Common to all definitions of this construct is the belief that countertransference must be regulated or managed. If unregulated, a therapist's blind spots may limit his/her therapeutic effectiveness by allowing clients to touch the therapist's own unresolved areas, resulting in conflictual and irrational reactions. With greater awareness of the motivating forces behind one's own thoughts, feelings and behaviors, the therapist is less likely to distort the therapeutic relationship.
Disclosure is an essential aspect of a medical professional and his or her patients’ relationships. In the 1950s, the medical client and professional relationship was one of paternalism as opposed to the now fiduciary relationship. Then a paternalistic professional took all of the responsibilities, disclosed what he then thought was necessary, and essentially told the patien...
They argue that therapists should consider their own motivation to self-disclose and set boundaries. The therapists should never put their own needs above the client. They make sure to point out that self discourse alone cannot affect the outcome of treatment. Self-disclosure is effective only if it is used appropriately and only if it is used when it is necessary. The amount of information disclosed and when it is disclosed is also important. Therapists should draw a clear line with the amount of intimacy to include in their therapeutic disclosure to ensure that no inappropriate boundaries are crossed. The authors suggest two rules of thumb to follow when disclosing information which include: (a) “Why do I want to say what I am about to say” and (b) “What will be the likely impact of the client” (p. 567).
As stated by Collins (2007), the privacy and openness to discuss intimate issues can stimulate vulnerability with the client. Another ethical issue with this theory can be a growing dependence with the counselor. An additional ethical issue with this therapy is for the client to know his or her vulnerability regarding emotional or sexual needs when it comes to counseling a client (Corey, 2007). An additional ethical issue for the Individual Psychology therapy is that there may be some confusion as times to what is to happen in the counseling
...t to find a therapist who knows how to do Exposure and Response Prevention therapy. A therapist should be open and friendly towards a patient’s decision about finding help. A patient’s relationship with their therapist is important because they will be disclosing a lot of information to their therapist, some of which may be embarrassing or uncomfortable. (Ocfoundation, 9)
While her therapist helps her with her father, the therapist unintentionally improves her relationship with her husband. At Southeastern Louisiana University’s common read, Smith explains, “I think I was able to meet him [her husband] because I cleared up a lot of silly stuff through therapy” (Smith). This confirmation allows the reader to receive a higher understanding of the effect therapy impacted Tracy K. Smith.
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
There is this saying, “Everything happens for a reason” and I believe certain things do. I believe that everything I have gone through my life has been preparing me for the beginning of a great career. This world can be a scary place, but there is also beauty in this world with lots of opportunities, and people who want to help make a difference. I want to be one of those people who inspire others to do better, to guide them and to teach them to not give up. If it was not for my counselors and mentors I would not be where I am at today. I was able to accomplish one of my goals of being the first in my family to graduate with my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from CSULA. I want to further my education to better myself, and help others along the way.
The counseling session began with the introductions where I introduced myself as the counselor and later introduced my client. This stage is important in any counseling session since it is the time of exploration and focusing according to Gerard Egan as quoted by Wright (1998) in his essay on couselling skills. It is in this session that I was able to establish rapport and trust with my client in order to come up with a working and fruitful relationship with him. During this stage I made use of skills like questioning, where I would pose a question directly to my client, sometimes I would choose to just listen to what the client wanted to speak out while in some instances I would be forced to paraphrase the question if I felt the client did not understand the question I had asked previously. There were also other times when I would reflect through silence. During such a period, I got time to study the client and the information he had given. This being a difficult area, since some clients may not be able to volunteer information to you as the counselor, I decided to assure the client of confidentiality of any information he was willing to share with me with a few exceptions which I also told him about. Being open to him about the only times the information may not be confidential was part of my building rapport and establishing trust with him. I therefore, decided to ask the client what information he wanted to share with me and lucky enough he was ready to speak to me about different issues that he was going through.