With what types of clients might such a self-disclosure be ill advised?

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

The personality, strengths, and typical coping and defense mechanisms should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to make a personal, sensitive self-disclosure to a client. Goldstein (1997) lists a number of types of clients for whom self-disclosure might be harmful and violate the principle of doing no harm (nonmaleficence). The list includes those with poor boundaries or poor reality testing, as well as those who tend to focus on the needs of the therapist or who might feel a need to take care of the therapist. Those who fear closeness or avoid strong emotions might also respond negatively to self-disclosure. Epstein (1994) includes two additional types of clients for whom self-disclosure might be contraindicated—accommodating clients and clients with poor boundaries or clients who are impulsive.