It’s no secret that the world has become a much more informal place than it was just a couple of decades ago; bosses and their employees can be personal friends, email has replaced handwritten invitations and thank-you letters, and in many offices, every day is Casual Friday.
So where does that leave the practice of psychotherapy? Long held under a shroud of formality for various ethical reasons, psychotherapy has had some growing pains in trying to adjust and adapt to the new laid-back way of life.
While it used to be unthinkable that a therapist would ever share any of their personal information with a client, Ken Hardy—director of the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships—now feels that a little self-disclosure is a good thing.
Watch the clip below to hear him explain why not self-disclosing is a real detriment to the therapeutic process.
Watch the video on YouTube.
Rich Simon
Richard Simon, PhD, founded Psychotherapy Networker and served as the editor for more than 40 years. He received every major magazine industry honor, including the National Magazine Award. Rich passed away November 2020, and we honor his memory and contributions to the field every day.
Kenneth V. Hardy
Kenneth V. Hardy, PhD, is director of the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships and professor of marriage and family therapy at Drexel University.
