Ethics: Self-Disclosure in Therapy
How much of your life should you reveal to therapy clients? While historically psychotherapy has discouraged self-disclosure, today even many psychoanalysts support some forms of self-disclosure. Sharing elements of your social location can help marginalized clients feel valued and understood. Well-timed self-disclosure may salvage interventions that seem to be going off the rails.
This advanced course examines the ethics of several different forms of self-disclosure, including family life, hobbies, social location, personal values, religious and political affiliations, feelings about the client, and personal history of mental illness. The course also examines disclosure of the four words that strike fear into the hearts of many clinicians: “I made a mistake.”
In accordance with professional ethical standards, this course honors the complexity of decision-making around self-disclosure, and encourages careful consideration of the specific context and situation alongside consideration of the content of the disclosure.
1.5 hours CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)
Course Overview
ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1.50 hours
CE CREDITS: 1.50 continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners
LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Advanced
PREREQUISITE(S): None
INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)
ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.
COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.
FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.
GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.
PARTICIPATION COSTS: The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.
COURSE CREATION DATE: 5/18/2021
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify at least one ethical principle related to their use of self-disclosure
- Identify at least two potential positive clinical impacts of self-disclosure and two potential negative clinical impacts of self-disclosure
- Describe at least three recent research findings regarding self-disclosure of specific types of content
- Describe at least one research finding regarding acknowledgement of mistakes in therapy
Course Outline
- Historical context
- Traditional psychoanalytic view
- Modern psychoanalytic view
- Feminist influence
- Ethical standards
- Purposes of self-disclosure
- Impacts of self-disclosure
- Specific examples and considerations
- Personal/family life
- Hobbies
- Social location
- Personal values and morals
- Feelings about the client or the therapy
- Religious affiliation
- Political affiliation
- Therapist’s mental health condition
- Mistakes
CE Information
American Psychological Association (APA)
Psych Hub is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Psych Hub maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists completing this course receive 1.50 continuing education credits.Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Psych Hub, #1750, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.50 clinical continuing education credits.California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Psych Hub is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Psych Hub maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. CAMFT Approval #1000074. Course meets the qualifications for 1.50 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Psych Hub has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7051. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Psych Hub is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Counselors completing this course receive 1.50 continuing education hours.New York State Education Department - Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSED-LMHC)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0257. New York State licensed mental health counselors completing this course receive 1.50 contact hours.New York State Education Department - Marriage & Family Therapists (NYSED-MFT)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0109. New York State marriage and family therapists completing this course receive 1.50 contact hours.New York State Education Department - Psychology (NYSED-PSY)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0208. New York State licensed psychologists completing this course receive 1.50 contact hours.New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYSED-SW)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0699. New York State social workers completing this course receive 1.50 contact hours.Experts
