title: Immediate therapist self-disclosure bolsters the effect of brief integrative psychotherapy on psychiatric symptoms and the perceptions of therapists: A randomized clinical trial.
abstract: We report a first randomized clinical trial examining the effect of immediate and non-immediate therapist self-disclosure in the context of a brief integrative psychotherapy for mild to moderate distress.
  
  
  
  A total of 86 patients with mild to moderate forms of distress were randomly divided into three 12-session integrative psychotherapy conditions based primarily on [Hill, C. E. (2009). Helping skills: Facilitating, exploration, insight, and action (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.] three-stage model. Therapists trained in this treatment modality were instructed to use either immediate self-disclosure (expressing feelings towards the patient/treatment/therapeutic relationship) or non-immediate self-disclosure (expressing personal or factual information regarding the therapist's life outside the treatment). In the comparison condition, the therapists were instructed to refrain from self-disclosure altogether.
  
  
  
  Immediate therapist self-disclosure reduced psychiatric symptoms among patients with elevated pretreatment symptoms (as assessed by the Brief Symptoms Inventory) and bolstered a favorable perception of the therapist. Therapists in both the immediate and non-immediate self-disclosure group evaluated themselves more favorably than their counterparts in the non-disclosure group.
  
  
  
  Therapist self-disclosure, particularly of the immediate type, might enhance the effect of brief integrative treatment on psychiatric symptoms of high symptomatic patients and contribute to favorable perception of therapists.
authors.affiliation: a Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College , Tel Aviv-Yaffo , Israel.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ziv-Beiman
authors.affiliation: b Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.
authors.forename: Giora
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Keinan
authors.affiliation: c Bar-Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.
authors.forename: Elad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Livneh
authors.affiliation: d Malone Quantitative , Durham , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Malone
authors.affiliation: e Ben Gurion University of the Negev , Beer Sheva , Israel.
authors.forename: Golan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shahar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D012650:Self Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aptitude–treatment interaction research; brief psychotherapy; integrative treatment models; outcome research; randomized clinical trial; self-disclosure