It Is Critical For Self Disclosure Ethical And Clinical Principles

Clearly, confidentiality is essential to the healing process. However, though it may appear to be a relatively easy concept, its application in the therapeutic atmosphere has proven to be quite complex (Younggren & Harris, p. 589). One issue that causes confusion for many professionals pertains to the differences between confidentiality and legal privilege. Quite often, ethical obligations overlap with the legal requirements. Frequently, the practitioner is not well informed about these particular limits on confidentiality and this lack of knowledge can place both the client and the helping professional at risk (Younggren & Harris, p.590, 598).

Remley and Herlihy (2016) defines confidentiality as an ethical concept which refers to the counselor 's obligation to respect the client 's privacy and in session discussion will be protected from disclosure without their consent (p.108). The receptionist never disclosed what was being discussed in wife A session; however, her inadvertent breach of confidentiality occurred the moment she divulged the fact that wife A is a patient at a mental health facility. An important premise to understanding the ethical principle of confidentiality is base that a counselor respects the client 's right to privacy (Remley & Herlihy, 2016; Quigley, 2007). Premise one states the "counselor honor the rights of clients to decide who knows what information about them and in what circumstances" (p.110).

When it comes to counselors and psychologists, there's a code of ethics that influences whether they can reveal private information during a session. Patients also have the added protection provided by HIPAA. During the first visit to a new counselor, the person will be provided with papers that explain that your sessions are private except in certain circumstances. The HIPAA guidelines are actually the minimum level provided. In many states, there are stricter guidelines in place for those in the mental health fields. Patients have to feel safe during their sessions, or they won't share details with their counselor.

How Therapist Self-Disclosure And Non-Disclosure Affects Clients”, stated that, “The study results suggest that therapist self‐disclosure has both positive and negative treatment implications.” It depends on how therapeutic the self-disclosure would benefit the client in that given situation, and the client’s receptiveness to what information is given to them; for example, one patient may respond positively to a therapist’s self –disclosure that reveals another safe point of view of an issue, while another patient might feel that therapist’s has over stepped their boundaries. Madill et al. stated that, “These were sometimes attributed to inexperience and sometimes the characteristics of the total situation, such as events from the therapist's personal life” (13). There are times when sharing something from the therapist can help explain an issue that is present during the time of that therapy appointment. Another problem with a therapist’s self-disclosure is that after years of treatment, the therapist can run out of examples to use to clarify a point made during the appointment. Years and years of treatment sometimes cover issues where the therapist, will add something about himself or herself. People who tend to talk for a very long time during therapy can relate on a level that is not crossing the boundaries. In addition, self –disclosure may be a major problem for therapists who live and work in rural communities, because

Self-disclosure can be used to produce insights to the clients own behaviors and life. I remember hearing that one of the most helpful things in counseling is when the therapist shares their own story with the client. It can make the client see that we are all human, make similar mistakes, and can all relate/connect to each other. I believe today it is more acceptable to share personal information with clients than ever before. Also, sometimes counselors do not plan self-disclosure in advance it is more of on the spot if you get the feelings to do so. It is more a spontaneous technique that can lead to further self-examination for the client. It can also be

He believes that therapist transparency can lead to "here-and-now activation and process illumination" (p. 218). In addition, it seems that Yalom believes that by being authentic the therapist can decentralize her role, and can “foster a deeper exploration on the client’s part" (p. 218). Meanwhile mixed results have been reported regarding self-disclosure (Audet, 2011), I find Yalom’s argument compelling as he asserts the following: “I am advocating that therapists relate authentically to clients in the here-and-now of the therapy hour, not that they reveal their past and present in a detailed manner” (p. 223). He goes on to explain that he doesn’t believe it is helpful when therapists talk about ways they have overcome personal challenges, indicating appropriate boundaries when it comes to transparency, and clients’ wellbeing in mind. I agree that certain forms of self-disclosure can pose ethical concerns, as Epstein (1994) indicates; however, some clients will benefit from the therapist’s disclosure (Audet & Everall, 2003), and their curiosity does not come from intentionally breaking boundaries, and a therapist’s rigid standpoint could hinder the relationship. I have seen therapists have a strong reaction when clients asked a personal question, however, I believe that it makes sense that some clients would need to feel connected by knowing something about the therapist for their comfort level to

Goldfried, M.R., Burckell, L.A., & Eubanks-Carter, C. (2003). Therapist self-disclosure in cognitive-behavior therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Special Issue: In Session, 59(5), 555-568.

Confidentiality is an obligation that counselors have professionally, ethically, and legally. They are prohibited from disclosing client information without written consent; unless the client is at risk for harming self or others (Gladding, 2011). Although confidentiality is not guaranteed in group settings, the therapist must inform the group of the importance of confidentiality, and establish what it means to them as a group. In order to keep confidentiality within a group, the leader must first teach the members how to communicate about their experience in such a way as to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of other group members (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2014). From there, if confidentiality is broken within the group, the leader can

I also choose scenario 1. Corey, Corey & Corey (2014) explains that it takes a therapist courage to open up and show a form of rawness with their clients. However, it is important that the therapist does not impose their own problems onto their client. The therapist does not want to discredit their professionalism where the client questions if they are capable of helping them. Regardless of the theoretical approach the therapist takes, the client comes into therapy with the idea the therapist is the expert or the therapist is there to help them. I am not implying in any way that a therapist should not share personal experiences but I do believe the information shared should be guarded in a professional and appropriate method.

One of the most controversial issues is whether practitioners have a duty to disclose their client’s HIV status if an identifiable third party is at risk of becoming infected. Several factors influence whether therapists decide to listen to the law or the ethical guidelines, since they are extremely contradictory. Hook and Cleveland (1999) argue that breaching confidentiality in cases related to HIV/AIDS is wrong. The researchers communicate that mental health professionals have a duty of non-maleficence and by breaching confidentiality, they are doing more harm than good. Certainly, disclosing that a client is HIV-positive to a third party could leave him/her vulnerable to discrimination as well as stigmatization. Given that a therapist’s

Self-disclosure is one of the five influencing skills used by therapists with their clients. Self-disclosure allows the interviewer to share personal information with their client when necessary. The skillfulness of therapist disclosure has an overarching theme and has the most important and influential factor in client’s perceptions of the helpfulness of their therapists’ responses and contributed toward the development of a positive alliance (Redlinger-Grosse, Veach, & MacFarlane, 2013). Self-disclosure is not the retelling of one’s life story or monopolizing the client’s therapy session. Instead, it is carefully placed information that helps the client realize that they are not alone in the situation they are going through, plus it

Some forms of self-disclosure are unavoidable. When a client walks into a therapy room they learn a great deal about their therapist. They will instantly see their therapist’s gender, approximate age, race, body type and style of dress (Peterson, 2002). In addition, information about credentials, where they were

I think Self Disclosure is a slippery slope because if we let to much about ourselves we can experience a role reversal and if we do not disclose enough we may loose the client. I do think that drawing this line is difficult because as counselors we know the importance of connecting with the client and a shared personal experience is like creating an instant connection with another person. Our experiences give us the ability to empathize more deeply then just trying to put ourselves in someone else situation. I think I would have the most problem with self disclosure because I tend to be very open about my life, and things I have gone through I do not shy from sharing a personal experience. I like to help and

Welcome to my practice. I am looking forward to work with you. In accordance with RCW 18.225 and AAMFT ethical code 1.2, therapist/counselor shall provide disclosure information to each client before the implementation of a treatment plan. The disclosure information must be: specific to the type of treatment service offered, in a language that can be easily understood by the client, and contain sufficient detail to enable the client to make an informed decision whether or not to accept treatment from the disclosing licensee. This document has important information regarding our therapeutic work together. This document contains the following information: My experience as a therapist, my approaches to counseling, your rights as a client, your responsibilities as a client, and additional information. It is important that you review this document carefully before signing. When you sign this document, it represents an agreement between us. You may revoke this agreement at any time. If I have already taken actions or you have incurred financial obligations, the revocation will not be binding however. If you have any question after reading this document, feel free to ask me for clarifications.

The importance of this sub-section is to demonstrate how shame can have an impact on the amount of disclosure in therapy. It has been suggested that a lack of disclosure can influence therapeutic outcome. Based on research, participants have identified one of the reasons that they are unwilling to disclose is due to fear of the reaction of the therapist. The purpose of discussing shame and disclosure in therapy is to highlight how non-disclosure can be problematic with clients who feel shame in therapy. This is further emphasized by Lewis’ (1971) findings that in the therapeutic relationship, patients may not be aware of their feelings as shame (unidentified shame) and as such, will use other words to point to the shame experience. This means that therapists must be aware of the impact that the relational context has on clients who feel shame.