Posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 19:13:08
In reply to Therapist Self-Revealing, posted by Rigby on March 17, 2006, at 10:41:36
I don't have a big problem with therapist self revelation for the most part - depending of course on the theoretical orientation of the therapist. With two exceptions.
Therapist self revelation that makes the therapist uncomfortable enough to hurt the client by abruptly redrawing the boundaries is bad therapy. Not that you can't get through it, but it hurts the client needlessly.
And therapist self disclosure that makes the client feel uncomfortable is too much self disclosure. So that clients *always* can and should say "You know, that's a bit more than I need to know about you."
I think I draw the line at disclosure of personal things. Like I don't mind knowing his wife's name or what she does for a living or even personal qualities she might have or things she might value, but I don't need to overhear him tell her he loves her on the phone, or hear that they just had a giant fight or that he just broke up with his girlfriend. I don't mind (and appreciate it) if he tells me he's not at his best right now because of something totally unrelated to me, and maybe even a general overview like family problems or a death in the family or hurricane displacement or something. But I don't want to hear that he's distraught or depressed or about his therapy. Saying he's had the experience of being a therapy client at an unspecified time helps me understand that he knows what it's like. Telling me he's in therapy now or that he was just in therapy would bother me a bit.
But that's my personal line. If she's gone over your personal line, or if you think she's heading down a path that will cause you grief when she thinks it over, you need to as nicely as possible convey that to her, I think.
poster:Dinah
thread:621273
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060312/msgs/621408.html