How much should you reveal of yourself in counselling?
Self-disclosure The degree to which a counsellor includes any self-disclosure, i.e., details about themselves, their lives, or their personal experiences and even extending to whether they should have any personal items in the counselling room remain contentious issues. The traditional notion, steeped in the origins of psychoanalysis, is of the therapist as a separate and clinical entity, present to identify problems diagnostically and not to present themselves in any way personally. In the case of therapists deciding they will present something of themselves within the counselling relationship, the decision should be done with thought and care- it is perhaps an advanced counselling skill to be able to confidently reveal appropriate congruence to help with the counselling process... »
