Question

Self-disclosure can be a useful tool in a clinical setting or it can blur boundary lines if used incorrectly. While it is a controversial approach, research shows that clients who have counselors who disclose some information about themselves have lower stress levels than those whose counselors do not (Barrett & Berman, 2001). Review Karen’s approach below and determine what she could do to utilize self-disclosure in a helpful way. Write a paragraph about your feelings on how she used self-disclosure and write 1-2 sentences on how Karen could have used self-disclosure in a way that would have been more helpful to Joe.

Karen is a counselor in a residential treatment facility. Her client, Joe, shared that he went to jail an altercation he had when he was drunk. Karen responded, “I know what you mean. When I was younger I was almost arrested when I was drunk. I had some crazy times in college!”

Answer 1

Self-disclosure from the therapist's/counselor's side can be helpful in building trust, empathy, and strengthen the therapeutic alliance. It makes the client feel that they are not being judged as the therapist has self-disclosed of being in a similar patient and makes the therapist become more of a human in the client's eyes.

Self-disclosure should be used in moderation, with care and proper strategy without derailing the conversation and talking too much about the therapist.

Karen should not have said that she had crazy times in college, rather she should have only said that She can understand what he has been through and how it feels as drinking can put a person on edge and make them do things they won't normally do.

Her self-disclosure is remotely related and can make the client feel that she just pretended to know what he felt as she has never been to jail and might have created a rupture in the therapeutic alliance