Clinician self-disclosure or clinician self-concealment? Lesbian, gay and bisexual mental health practitioners' experiences of disclosure in therapeutic relationships

Objectives: Previous research exploring therapist self-disclosure (TSD) indicates that when therapeutically relevant and used sparingly it can have a beneficial effect for the client, particularly when the client is a member of a stigmatised population. There is a dearth of literature exploring the experience of disclosing from the perspective of the clinician. Method: The current study sought to bridge this gap by utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) mental health practitioners' disclosing sexual orientation to clients. Eight self-identifying LGB clinicians with experiences of disclosing sexual orientation to clients working within the NHS were interviewed for this study. Results: Analysis revealed core themes around the perceived effects of disclosure vs. concealment on the clinician, client and relationship. Participants experienced an enhancing effect of the disclosure. A corresponding cost to themselves and to the relationship was feeling the need to keep their sexual orientation concealed. Conclusions: This study provides a valuable insight into the experiences of LGB clinicians engaging in supportive and therapeutic relationships. The findings indicate some additional difficulties that TSD may pose for these individuals and points to the unique and contextually dependent factors involved in this disclosure and its perceived effects.