Group therapist self-disclosure: An evaluation by clients

24 clients from 10 different psychotherapy groups evaluated their leaders on a self-disclosure scale and on a set of bipolar adjectives. A factor analysis was performed on responses to the descriptive adjectives, and 2 major factors were extracted. Chi-square analyses then assessed the relationship between therapists' self-disclosure ratings and their scores on the 2 factors. Results demonstrate that self-revealing therapists are judged as more friendly, disclosing, trusting, intimate, helpful, and facilitating (Factor 1) but also as being less relaxed, strong, stable, and sensitive (Factor 2). A positive relationship was found between the length of time a client had been in a therapy group and the favorability of attitudes toward therapist self-disclosure. (15 ref.)