Under what circumstances should a therapist make a revealing and sensitive personal self-disclosure (vs. disclosure about training, education, marital status)?

Question

Debra Masters, a social worker in private practice, conducted an initial interview with Stephanie Railsback, a young woman also working in the helping professions, who was conflicted about her sexual orientation. Debra was a lesbian herself, open, but discreetly so. As the interview proceeded Debra was increasingly distracted by the question of whether she should disclose her sexual orientation to this client and, if so, when. Her anxiety intensified to such a degree that she had to leave the interview to compose herself and decide what to do to resolve this dilemma.

Answer 1

This may be appropriate when the therapist believes that such a disclosure, shared in a particular way and time, positively and constructively contributes to the therapeutic goals established by the client and therapist. In deciding how, when, and whether such a disclosure should be made, the therapist should take into consideration how the client is likely to interpret such a disclosure given the client’s presenting problem, personality, and experience. The final test of whether this has been accomplished will be in how the client interprets such a disclosure and whether the client believes it was constructive.