Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy Supervisors: Gender Differences

Abstract

This article will explore the possible reasons for gender differences found in self-disclosure in psychotherapy supervisors. Trainees and supervisors in the Brown University Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior completed a questionnaire that asked about the appropriateness of the actions of a psychotherapy supervisor. On three items, male and female supervisors differed significantly in their perceptions of appropriate boundaries. These items were: interacting with the resident alone outside of supervision e.g. playing tennis (p = .0005), publishing identifiable content of supervision discussions with resident's consent (p = .0006), and disclosing the supervisor's prior struggles with substance abuse (p = .0008). Female supervisors answered "never" to these items in greater numbers than the male supervisors, who, for the most part answered "occasionally". Traditional gender role behaviors and differential gender socialization patterns are possible reasons for the gender difference in perception of boundaries by supervisors.