Publication Date
2008
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department
School for Social Work
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to answer the following question: How and why do clinicians choose to self-disclose (with particular attention paid to race, sexual orientation and gender)? In order to answer this questiono sixty-four participants were surveyed using a mixed-method, deductive, exploratory method. The majority of clinicians surveyed use self-disclosure in their practices and believe that it is a viable therapeutic technique. Not all of the clinicians were aware of their own social identities or the identities of their clients playing a role in their choices around self-disclosure, but some were. The three major motivations for identity-based disclosures included: breaking silences around issues of race and sexual orientation; modeling behavior as well as lifestyle for clients and offering new perspectives.
Recommended Citation
Barnett-Parker, Sarah R., ""Enough about you, let's talk about me : clinicians' use of self-disclosure and (un)conscious awareness of race, sexuality, and gender" (2008). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/443
Comments
Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Ma., 2008. v, 68 p. : col. ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-51)