Lived Experience, Professional Ethics & Therapeutic Self-Disclosure
Updated: 2 days ago
PsychologyPop includes both professional education and lived experience.
The purpose here is to provide education, information, inspiration, a leave readers with permission to be “you.”
As a licensed therapist, I take seriously the ethical responsibilities that come with publicly discussing mental health, relationships, autism, identity, and my own experiences.
Therapist self-disclosure is an established area of psychotherapy research and professional training. The ethical question is not simply whether a therapist ever reveals something personal about themselves. Thoughtful use of self-disclosure considers its purpose, relevance, boundaries, potential impact, and whether the disclosure is being used in service of the person receiving it.
My lived-experience disclosures are being used within educational material to illuminate the subjects I’m teaching.
When I share something personal, I do so because it helps me explain an idea, gives context to something we’re exploring, or offers a lived example of an experience that can otherwise be difficult to put into words. My experience is never presented as proof of what another person’s experience means.
PsychologyPop is an educational platform. Content shared here is not psychotherapy and does not establish a therapist-client relationship.
I also maintain an important boundary between sharing my own story and sharing the stories of people I have worked with professionally. I do not use PsychologyPop to publicly disclose confidential information about therapy clients.
My approach to lived-experience disclosure is informed by professional literature on therapist self-disclosure, ethical use of self, therapeutic boundaries, and the responsible use of social media by mental health professionals.
If you are a therapist who wants to learn more about how to inform, educate, and inspire, or you are a therapist who wants to begin implementing therapist self-disclosure in your psychotherapy sessions, you can explore that professional literature and guidance below.
Therapist Self-Disclosure : Lawrence Raifman, J.D., Ph.D. (3 CEs)
Seminars: Therapist Self-Disclosure
Goldilocks Disclosures: A Qualitative Exploration of When Therapist Self-Disclosure of Lived Experience Is “Just Right” : Robertson et al.
Therapist Self-Disclosure and Immediacy: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis — Clara E. Hill, Sarah Knox & Kristen G. Pinto-Coelho
The Role of Therapist Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Review : Jennifer R. Henretty & Heidi M. Levitt
Self-Disclosure: What the Research Tells Us : Graham S. Danzer
Navigating Boundaries, Countertransference, and Self-Disclosure: Top Ethical Challenges in Clinical Practice : Kirsten Lind Seal, PhD, LMFT
Exploring the Use of the Therapist's Self in Therapy: A Systematic Review :
Meera H Alva et al.
Therapist Self-Disclosure, Countertransference, and Self Care in the Current Work Environment : Pamela Harmell, Ph.D.
