Therapeutic Self Disclosure Essay

In Chapter 9, Author discusses the effect and boundaries of self-disclosure in healthcare communications. Self-disclosure by healthcare provider classifies as unavoidable, accidental or purposeful. It can also be categorized as present experience disclosure or historic disclosure. Based on intent and level of intimacy it can be classified as Meta disclosures, irresponsible or accidental disclosures, disclosure in service of aggression or manipulation, and Competitive or attention getting disclosures. Patient’s disclosure helps to conduct assessment and provide care. Jourard (1971) studied the therapeutic value of self-disclosure in healthcare setting.

Provider’s self-disclosure can encourage patient to involve in talk and facilitate therapeutic goals of patient-provider relationship. Therapeutic effects of self-disclosure include the sense of being understood, the enhancement of trust, decreased loneliness, and decreased role distance. Nontherapeutic self-disclosure may have reverse effects as decreased understanding and role reversal. Because of therapeutic and nontherapeutic effects of

Advisement is considered unilateral in nature. Aim of advisement is to change in patient’s behavior, attitude and/or emotional response by provider’s suggestion, directives, instructions or commands. Author has discussed the misuse of the advisement, which results taking control from patients and increase patient resistance.

Therapeutic use of advisement can be achieved by less direct advice, providing rationale behind suggestions, and decrease confusion by providing clear communication. Healthcare provider should also be able to recognize problematic patient response of advisement, which include placating, changing subject, ignoring the advice, reacting with silence and passively agreeing with advice. The response of patient does also differ with his/her understanding, education and