Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
5-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Name
Master of Marriage and Family Therapy
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Lisa V. Merchant
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Lisa Powell
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Michael Pounds
Abstract
One challenge therapists face when working with clients is whether or not to self-disclose personal information. Therapists may wonder whether it is ethical, and if so, what types of self-disclosure are appropriate, what impact self-disclosure will have, and how to self- disclose. Although much research exists on the benefits and costs of therapist self- disclosure (TSD), the literature on the decision-making process of TSD is scarce, particularly for marriage and family therapists. The objective of this study was to develop a general theory of the decision-making process surrounding therapist self-disclosure for marriage and family therapists. The researcher developed this theory by conducting qualitative interviews from a convenience sample of marriage and family therapists. From these interviews, the researcher searched for themes regarding TSD and developed a theory based on these themes. This theory includes a therapist’s personal philosophy of TSD, in addition to common thoughts and feelings occurring before, during, and after the self-disclosure. This theory may inform other marriage and family therapists in two ways. First, it may normalize the decision-making process for them if they experience a process similar to that of the sample. Second, it will give marriage and family therapists a template of what to consider when deciding to self-disclose to clients.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Reed, Sydney Morgan, "How Therapists Decide to Self-disclose to their Clients: A Grounded Theory Study" (2021). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 338.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/338