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Therapist Self Disclosure in Group Psychotherapy from an Intersubjective and Self Psychological Standpoint

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Abstract

The history of therapist self disclosure is traced from the early struggles of Ferenczi and Burrow to its valued, yet still ambivalent, contemporary status. The symmetry of self disclosure by therapist and group members is differentiated from the parity of their different roles and responsibilities. Using a case example, the process is discussed through which a therapist's self disclosure fosters task-appropriate satisfaction of selfobject needs as it also helps group members articulate and loosen archaic selfobject binds. The therapy group is described as a transitional space within which a therapist's disclosure offers members an intersubjective bridge to the therapist as well as a model for members' own active participation in the group's work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Joint Faculty, Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, USA

    Bertram D. Cohen (Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry)

  2. Study Group for Contemporary Psychoanalytic Process, USA

    Victor L. Schermer (Director)

Authors
  1. Bertram D. Cohen
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  2. Victor L. Schermer
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Cohen, B.D., Schermer, V.L. Therapist Self Disclosure in Group Psychotherapy from an Intersubjective and Self Psychological Standpoint. Group 25, 41–57 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011068623404

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