The Investigation of Preferences to Therapist Self-Disclosure in Socially Anxious People

Abstract

Some evidence shows that socially anxious people struggle with utilizing mental health services continuously. Therapist self-disclosure at starting of the services is suggested to be an effective way of building a relationship with clients. However, the extent to which socially anxious people value therapist self-disclosure remains unclear. This study investigates the degree of preference and fear of socially anxious people toward such self-disclosure by conducting a questionnaire survey on 240 adults. As a result of correlation and path analyses, it was observed that socially anxious people tend to fear therapist self-disclosure; in particular, the fear of being evaluated positively and negatively directly influences this tendency. Consequently, at the beginning of psychotherapy, it is suggested that therapists should use only assuring self-disclosures, thus communicating to clients that therapists understand their narrative. Additionally, therapists should avoid using other kinds of self-disclosures excessively.