--- title: "PPRNet Clinical summary: Self Disclosure of Mental Health Professionals" description: The director of the Psychotherapy Practice Research Network (PPRNet) is Dr. Giorgio Tasca. Dr. Tasca is an Associate Professor with the School of Psychology, in the Faculty of Social, University of Ottawa. His research focus is on psychotherapy process, mechanisms of change, and outcomes, as well as eating disorders. image: https://collabzium.com/hubfs/iStock-1206150255sm.jpg --- [![FAC_SOCIAL_SCIENCE_HEADER_BAR](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/FAC_SOCIAL_SCIENCE_HEADER_BAR.svg "FAC_SOCIAL_SCIENCE_HEADER_BAR")](https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-social-sciences/) [![Collabzium](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/CollabziumLogoEnglish(Name)-COLOUR.svg "Collabzium")](https://collabzium.com/) - Articles - [Collabzium Guide](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/collabzium-guide) - [All articles](https://collabzium.com/en/articles) - Research - [Chairs and Labs](https://collabzium.com/en/chair-and-labs) - [About](https://collabzium.com/collabcrew) [Subscribe](https://20500402.hubspotpagebuilder.com/subscribe-now) [Subscribe](https://20500402.hubspotpagebuilder.com/subscribe-now) [PPRNET](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/tag/pprnet) # PPRNet Clinical summary: Self Disclosure of Mental Health Professionals [Dr. Giorgio Tasca](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/dr-giorgio-tasca) calendar icon Aug 05, 2026 · Reading time 2 min read [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) The use of psychotherapist self-disclosure is a [common](https://trk.cp20.com/click/gs5t-31ldqq-p6yke6-l89bayk8/) therapeutic technique, with over 90% of therapists reporting using it in therapy. Therapists have reported making personal disclosures to engage genuinely or to display empathy. However, some studies showed that therapists may not use self-disclosures if they felt it would shift the focus away from the patient or therapeutic relationship and toward the therapist themselves. Some of the previous research on this topic is complicated by different studies defining therapist self-disclosure in various ways. The research, for example, confounded disclosures of the therapist’s personal life with disclosures about the here-and-now therapeutic relationship (also called *immediacy* or *therapeutic metacommunication* ). This study by Reimer and Hilsenroth addressed this problem by defining therapist self-disclosure as a verbal revelation about the psychotherapist’s life outside of therapy, specifically excluding nonverbal self-disclosures (e.g., wearing a wedding ring) and disclosures within or about the therapeutic relationship. The authors surveyed 237 clinicians who were, on average, 48.72 years old (SD=17.71) and had a mean of 18.52 years of experience (SD=15.89). Most reported female sex (64.56%) and White (79.75%). Professionally, 64.98% were psychologists, and practiced from a CBT (26.26%), integrative (23.21%), or psychodynamic (22.36%) perspective. Of the total sample, 97% of therapists, using the definition provided to them, reported having self-disclosed to a client at least once during their career. The highest-rated reasons for therapists’ self-disclosure included strengthening the therapeutic alliance, normalizing patients’ experiences, and promoting authentic dialogue. There was a small but significant correlation between higher experience level and self-disclosure. Therapists were less likely to self-disclose if the patient had a personality disorder diagnosis. Therapists with a psychodynamic orientation were more likely to first explore the context and timing of patients’ requests for personal information than therapists with other orientations. Practice Implications  Therapist self-disclosure appears to be common. However, clinicians reported that the appropriateness of therapist self-disclosure largely depended on patient characteristics and the specific context. The results suggest that therapist self-disclosure may be most effective when used intentionally, with careful attention to timing, context, and individual patient characteristics, rather than as a routine intervention. When done in this manner, self-disclosure may strengthen the therapeutic relationship, normalize patient experiences, and foster a more authentic dialogue. > Riemer, B., & Hilsenroth, M. J. (2026). Self-disclosure of mental health professionals: Impact of experience, professional degree, and theoretical orientation. *Practice Innovations*. Advance online publication. [https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pri0000329](https://trk.cp20.com/click/gs5t-31ldqq-p6yke7-l89bayk9/)  calendar icon Aug 05, 2026 · Reading time 2 min read [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) --- ### [By Dr. Giorgio Tasca](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/author/dr-giorgio-tasca) The director of the Psychotherapy Practice Research Network (PPRNet) is Dr. Giorgio Tasca. Dr. Tasca is an Associate Professor with the School of Psychology, in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. His research is centered around psychotherapy process, mechanisms of change, and outcomes, as well as eating disorders. ## Also Read - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Patients Crying During Psychotherapy](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-patients-crying-during-psychotherapy) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Self Disclosure of Mental Health Professionals](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-self-disclosure-of-mental-health-professionals) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: 1. Therapeutic Alliance Ruptures are Associated with Poorer Patient Outcomes](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-1.-therapeutic-alliance-ruptures-are-associated-with-poorer-patient-outcomes) - [PPRNet Clinical summary: Long-Term Effects of Psychotherapies for Depression](https://collabzium.com/en/articles/pprnet-clinical-summary-long-term-effects-of-psychotherapies-for-depression) #### RELATED NEWS ![Collabzium Logo in White](https://collabzium.com/hubfs/Brand%20Images/Brand%20-%20Faculty%20of%20Social%20Sciences/CollabziumLogoEnglish(Icon)-WHITE.svg)   ##### CONTACT 120 University Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada [Contact Us](mailto:collabz@uottawa.ca) ##### [AI CONTENT CREATION POLICY](https://collabzium.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-content-creation-policy-for-collabzium) ##### ##### SUBSCRIBE TO COLLABZIUM Want to stay in the loop? Subscribe to the Collabzium email list for updates, news, and more! 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