Therapist self-disclosure: supervisory challenges and imperatives

Purpose This paper aims to help supervisors optimize their supervision around the clinically prevalent and important topic of therapist self-disclosure (TSD), defined as the act of the therapist expressing private information about themselves. Instead of rich discussion around this topic, there is silence and dearth of supervisory guidance, making it the proverbial elephant in both the clinical and supervisory rooms. Trainees thus graduate from training with clinical and educational blind spots around TSD and perpetuate these deficits as they become supervisors themselves. It thus behooves all therapists to build comfort and skill around TSD discourse, recognition and decision-making, with this process beginning in training with effective supervision around TSD. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews key challenges and imperatives with TSD supervision. Using clinical vignettes that highlight specific teaching strategies, the important supervisory considerations of fostering trust and transparency in supervision, enhancing discourse and skill around TSD decision-making and preparing and equipping trainees around therapist-targeted googling (TTG), which is using the internet to obtain information about their therapist are underscored. Findings Supervisors play a vital role in optimizing TSD supervision. It is critical that supervisors foster trust and transparency in supervision, enhance discourse and skill around TSD decision-making and prepare and equip trainees around TTG. Originality/value The paper highlights key gaps in trainee knowledge and skill around TSD. In response, supervisory imperatives and teaching strategies are proposed to enhance TSD supervision. By optimizing supervision and clinical practice around TSD, supervisors and trainees can collaboratively rise to the challenges at hand and replace silence and inadequacy with discourse and skill.