Family Therapist Authenticity as a

Key Factor in Outcome

Florence Kaslow
Bernard Cooper
Myrna Linsenberg

ABSTRACT: The authors explore various arguments for and against

therapist self disclosure and relate these to theoretical school and
therapist style and personality. Several case vignettes are used to
highlight the appropriate and efficacious revelation of therapist's
thoughts, feelings and reactions to the patients and their behavior. A
review of the recent literature on this controversial topic is included.
The theme is that in almost all therapies, except in psychoanalysis
where it is counterindicated, the therapist's selective dynamic use of
his own perceptions, experiences and values in a genuine and commit-
ted fashion contributes positively to the therapeutic outcomes.

To thine ownself be true

And it must followas the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
(Hamlet, Act I)

Shakespeare, one of the most luminous and gifted play-

wrights of all time, knew intuitively much that the skilled
clinician must master about the dynamics of human behavior.
For the therapist to achieve credibility in the eyes and hearts of
his patients, he must indeed be true to himself and not engage
in self deception. This genuineness has a sparkle of its own and is
recognizable by the patients who sense the therapist is sen-
sitively responding with what he really thinks, feels and does--
when such revelations are pertinent to the patient's needs and
*Reprint requests should be addressed to Florence Kaslow, Ph.D., Dept. Mental
Health Sciences, Hahnemann Medical College, 230 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia,
Penna_ 19102.
184 International Journal of Family Therapy 1(2) Summer, 1979
0148-8384/79/1400-0784 $00.959 Human Sciences Press
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

difficulties. A therapeutic mask is a protective guise; it interferes

with one's ability to help patients find their real selves and make
this consonant with the self they have been presenting, often a
false self.
What factors produce the greatest change in patients?
Which accelerate such changes? Before attempting to pinpoint
some of these special crucial elements, we emphasize our
concurrence with the importance of all therapists being well
grounded in a sound theoretical base and skillful in whatever
psychotherapeutic method they practice. But beyond theory
and technique lie other dimensions and from these we have
chosen to focus primarily on therapist personality and style as
these affect the nature of the therapeutic results. Among these
are certain general attributes that are essential in any therapist.
They include warmth, empathy (Kaslow, 1977), compassion,
and a high level of self understanding in order to minimize
interference by unresolved personal problems, and counter-
transference phenomena. Many authorities acknowledge that it
is not so much a therapist's techniques and methods that makes
for "success," but rather, what he is and how he relates. It is the
therapist's very being and his handling of self that constitutes a
crucial therapeutic tool. On this theme, Virginia Satir notes "1
can not teach people techniques, I can only teach them some
ways in which they can use themselves when certain things
happen...I teach people by helping them come to their own
awareness" (Satir, 1972).
Therapists starting with Freud have recognized the tre-
mendous influence of their own personalities and their ability to
establish rapport on their patients. When they feel content and
confident, their patients seem to respond in kind; when theyare
troubled, their patients sense and mirror this. It is primarily
because senior therapists are cognizant of this strong impact of
the therapist's essence on their patients that therapists are
trained in the conscious use of self. In accordance with their own
theoretical orientation, this may mean anything from avery non-
directive involvement in which the therapist, if an analyst, sits
behind the patient and heightens the transference by injecting
as little of his real self as possible, to an active intervention bythe
therapist who utilizes his own reactions to the patient's pre-
sentations of self as part of the data for interpretation about the
person's way of relating and being perceived by others.
A recent comparison of successful and unsuccessful psy-
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FAMILY THERAPY

chotherapy attributes a substantial portion of the difference to

the warmth, interest and active involvement of the therapist.
According to patient reports, therapists with these qualities had
a more noticeable effect on their behavior and on their feelings
(Bent et al., 1976).
Ackerman (1966), conceptualized the true healing process
as one in which the understanding of emotion goes both ways;
from therapist to patient and patient to therapist. The task of the
therapist, however, is to "sift out his own emotions and select-
ivelyinject those which the patient needs to experience in order
to become well." Like Ackerman, who recognized the inherent
risk in this sharing process, we accept it as no greater a risk than
that of totally hiding one's identity. He felt that such therapist
insincerity often is engaged in as a means of protection from
possible criticism, but severely limits the possibilities for per-
sonal growth and social learning.
Strupp (1974) and others engaged in psychotherapy out-
come research have found warmth and empathyto be crucial for
establishing good therapeutic alliances and positive outcomes
and therapist self disclosure an effective means of reducing the
patient's resistance. Although studies point up the importance
of the use of the therapist's basic personality, many practitioners
are still hesitant to reveal themselves to their patients. One
might hypothesize that not only is this because of an unchal-
lenged long standing dictum to not inject one's own ideas and
values, but also because they may be shy, withholding, socially
retiring individuals who are only comfortable relating in a
circumscribed, formal, traditionally professional relationship
where freer interaction is deemed not permissible. In fact, part
of the motivation for becoming a therapist may well have been
the opportunity to relate in a structured, clearly defined and
therefore non-threatening fashion.

TO DISCLOSE OR NOT

The degree of allowable authentic disclosure of self is a

controversial issue. At one end of the spectrum are the en-
counter group leaders who often become involved in overt
physical and emotional expression of feelings (Appley & Winder,
1973) and seem to exercise little caution or selectivity in
discussing their own thoughts, feelings and reactions with
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

participants. In the mid range of the continuum are the ther-

apists who use themselves and their emotions verbally, rather
than physically, in therapy. They are variously called humanists,
existentialists, experimentalists or interactionalists. They utilize
individual, couple, group, and family modalities, and a major
feature is the authenticity or genuineness with which they interact
with patients. They emphasize interpersonal learning and dis-
close important aspects of their own personality as a means of
conveying permission to be open and honest and to demon-
strate that it is safe in their office, and perhaps selectively in
other settings to do so. They are not adverse to answering
patients' questions about their own feelings, and, in fact, are
willing to share not only their feelings, but tidbits about their
personal experiences as well, when it seems appropriate and
likely to facilitate therapeutic progress.
Arguments against self disclosure stem largely from those at
the other end of the spectrum, the psychoanalysts who em-
phasize the importance of the resolution of the transference
relationship between patient and therapist as the crucial cura-
tive factor. To foster the development of the transference, the
therapist must maintain a neutral stance and remain relatively
anonymous so that unrealistic feelings can be projected upon
him (Freud, 1912/1963). Knowledge of the therapist's personal
life is believed to interfere with this process; thus the analysts
maintain that the therapeutic relationship becomes corroded by
therapist self disclosure. This stance is logical, indeed essential,
in psychoanalysis and intensive analytically oriented psy-
chotherapy.
Historically, the issue of self disclosure is not a new one.
Ferenczi, in his later years, challenged the distant, omnipotent
stance of the classical analysts and often admitted fallibility to
his patients, sharing with them some of his problem areas
(Green, 1964).
Some modern approaches suggest demystification of the
therapeutic process and a more equitable alliance between
therapist and patient. Greater therapist transparency removes
the magical aura surrounding him as a superior and powerful
God-doctor. Sharing uncertainties with a patient helps de-
mystify the therapeutic process and allows the therapist to be
viewed as a real person with life experiences, thoughts and
feelings not completely dissimilar to the client's.
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An increasing number of clinical investigations have shown

that some of the most effective individual therapists are those
who are able to be spontaneous and who are willing to expose
their real feelings (Anchor et al., 1976; Truax & Carkhuff, 1969).
Research on therapy with groups and families has also shown
that regardless of the therapist's theoretical orientation, his
warmth, caring, genuineness and risk-taking are important fac-
tors in the patient's improvement (Grunebaum, 1975). Wax-
enberg (1973) found that in the early stages of time limited
family treatment the deeper the therapist's level of empathy and
the freer the expression of himself in therapy, the more likely
was the family to continue. This was applicable to indigent black
and poorly educated families, who often are known to terminate
prematurely, as well as to white middle class families. When
seen by a therapist whose genuineness, empathy and regard
were truly felt, they too continued in treatment.
These studies point to the importance of genuineness, risk-
taking and self-disclosure as aids in establishing rapport with
patients. A good working alliance is considered by almost all
therapeutic schools, with the possible exception of narrow band
behaviorists such as Joseph Wolpe, a prerequisite for effective
therapy, regardless of the patient unit. Experimental and hu-
manistic therapists subscribe to the authenticity and self dis-
closure credo. Analytically oriented therapists attempt to
achieve this alliance through the use of very different tech-
niques; namely, unconditional acceptance, active listening,
neutrality and a non-disclosing attitude.
The foregoing thesis is not meant to imply that analysts are
not emphathic and concerned about their patients. Rather, the
difference seems to lie in their desire to remain neutral and
constant, revealingas little as possible about themselves in order
to facilitate the development of the transference. Although
most family therapists recognize the concept of transference
and are alert to the tendency of patients to project old feelings
onto present relationships, the necessity for heightening and
working this through or of demonstrating and interpreting these
interactions is not their prime concern or vehicle (Haley, 1976).
They tend to deal more with current situations and are in-
terested in present relationships and behaviors and therefore
can be freer to express their feelings more overtly; they rarely
don the veil of neutrality and stoicism. These would prove
counterproductive when one is trying to enter a family system
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

and dislodge entrenched dysfunctional patterns.

Many relational therapists feel that their ability to use
themselves freely and to express their feelings authentically is
their greatest asset. Berger (1974) derides what he calls the
dehumanized, mechanized and masked personalities of some
therapists. He feels that their detachment and silence are often
ineffective and too time consuming. He finds that, whether
working with neurotic or psychotic patients, students or
trainees:

an atmosphere of democratic mutuality and regard, of trust

and humaness, can only be engendered by a therapist who
as an artist in a creative process is willing to involve his
personality subjectively with his patients while still making
efforts to remain objective and aware through his inner
"eye" as well as "1."

Carl Rogers, who traditionally had focused his client-centered

therapy on helping the patient in his struggles toward becoming
a"whole person," has gradually expanded his conceptualization
to include recognition of his own growing need for freedom to
be more spontaneous, more sharing, and to use his "whole-
person" in the the two-way flow of therapeutic communications
(Frick, 1971).

THE NATURE OF AUTHENTICITY

Authenticity is not a gimmick or ruse to lure the patient or

maneuver him into the therapist's plan. It is rather a state of
being that one experiences, a sense of honesty and openness,
judiciously used with feeling and sincerity. It is the thesis of this
paper that authenticity and the ability to engage in self dis-
closure are important aspects of every healthy personality, and
that an open and genuine family therapist can substantially aid
his patients to incorporate these characteristics into their per-
sonalities. By modelingthese attributes, therapists enable others
to learn them. In this way a corrective emotional experience
occurs that leads to growth and enhancement of self.
Patients look for signs that the therapist cares. It is often
difficult for the clinician to decide precisely when to share his
feelings and to gauge the effect of such sharing upon his patient
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and on the relationship. For we are all aware of the powerful

effect created when the professional steps out of the omni-
potent role and presents himself as a real person.
As indicated earlier, the trend amongtherapists, particularly
those treating multi-patient units, is to recognize the value of
authenticity and of being willing to reveal more of themselves in
the therapeutic process. A good portion of contemporary ther-
apy leans heavily on the dynamics of a patient's interpersonal
relations. Many family therapists allow themselves to respond as
"real persons," less magical, omnipotent and immune than
formerly. They sit facing their patients, express their hunches
and reactions when appropriate, and capitalize on their own
personality to activate the process of patient revelation of self. In
terms of the time frame emphasized, the realities of the patient's
current intrapsychic, interpersonal, and social experiences
assume an expanded import; the past is only explored when
such uncovering is critical for a dynamic elucidation of the
current problems and anxieties. The time dimension of the
future is important since "being" and "becoming" are the two-
pronged emphasis. Future goals and how to attain them are
therapeutic considerations.
Family therapists differ in their ability to use themselves in
the therapeutic role and in their means of expressing their
unique creative talents. Such creativity is severely diminished if
it is not rooted in scientific knowledge and training. A therapist's
authentic being can add a new dimension to the interaction. His
personalityr life style, values and verbalized assumptions can
offer a significant contribution to the experience of the patients,
depending on the professional's capacity and willingness to
share these facets of himself. Authenticity requires that the
therapist be active, fluid, spontaneous and at times even blunt,
while at the same time remaining flexible, open, and un-
defensive. The therapist must be able to use his own being,
emotions, and experiences as an instrument in therapy. This is a
difficult standard to achieve and often taxes the therapist far
more than the reflecting back or interpretive stance of the
traditionalists.
For many patients, the model of authentic being is a totally
new experience. Relating to someone who speaks guilelessly
and undeceptively may be frightening in that it constitutes an
invitation for similar behavior. The dropping of pretense and
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

defenses and the revelation of honest feelings may fill some

people with fear, yet, once the facade is removed, the feeling of
relief and growth is a satisfaction that is self-reinforcing. It is
exactly such a state of defenselessness that maximizes the
growth-yielding impact of the therapist's interpretations, sug-
gestions and advice.
Self disclosure has long been recognized by communi-
cations experts as one of the most important aspects of inter-
personal communication. The willingness to be open with
another human being is the foundation for establishing close
interpersonal relationships. Genuine self disclosure is based on
the sharing of one's personal thoughts, fantasies, feelings and
reactions.
The following illustration highlights how important it can be
to a patient when she feels the therapist is " w i t h " her by the
sharing of human feelings.

Case Vignette I
One of the authors (M.L) has been treating a depressed young female
adult for about three months with tortoise-like movement. The patient
was extremely defensive and resistant. Suddenly after about two and a
half months there was a decided change in the amount of material
produced and in the patient's total attitude. Her depression seemed to
ease and her defensiveness was markedly lessened. After one rather
productive session the therapist remarked about the noticeable
change and asked the patient if she had any understanding of its origin.
The patient smiled and readily acknowledged that "1 noticed tears in
your eyes and a special look on your face when I related some
information to you about my feelings. It made me feel that you really
were able to understand how I felt and that you seemed to be sharing
those feelings with me. I felt, then, that I could tell you anything and
that even if you didn't agree with me, at least you could understand
where I was coming from. It was important to me to know that you
cared and that you felt what I was feeling at that moment. Somehow, it
has made me see you differently, and I feel I can be more open with
you now."

Therapists are often hesitant to admit to patients that what a

patient says often touches them deeply. However, the very
experience of being touched by another can be a meaningful
and positive one that can be shared with mutual benefit and at
times, a sense of exhilaration at being truly " k n o w n . "
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SPECIFIC PERTINENCE IN COUPLES

A N D FAMILY THERAPY

Many of today's therapists were originally trained in the

psychoanalytic theory and method and their major model for
therapy grew out of their personal analysis. The shift to family or
couples therapy is not an easy one (Malone, 1974). The per-
spective of a dynamic system which involves dyads, triads or
larger patient units instead of individuals necessitates a different
conceptual framework. Probably more difficult is the shift to
being an active participant in the system in order to unfreeze the
existing homeostasis. In any kind of multi-person treatment, the
most powerful ingredient conducive to change can be an
experience that occurs within the therapy hour and reinforces
the new insights or patterns of behavior they are learning. For
example:

Case Vignette II
A husband observed his wife disagreeing with the therapist. (F.K.) The
therapist engaged her in a way so that their dialogue allowed for
resolution of the conflict. The therapist refused to play neurotic games,
recounted her reaction to the maneuveringand did not allow a change
of topic. The husband saw and learned that it was possible to engage
his wife in a new, more constructive and focused way.

Although self disclosure requires courage, the therapist can

help others reveal themselves so that they can recognize their
underlying emotions and motivating forces. In describing ef-
fective therapists, Jourard says:

If they are themselves in the presence of the patient, if they

let their patient and themselves be, avoiding compulsions to
silence, to reflection, to introspection, to impersonal tech-
nique.., but instead, striving to know their patient, involving
themselves in his situation, and then responding to his
utterances with their spontaneous selves, this fosters
growth. (1971 )

For him and for us, therapy is an honest dialogue between two
(or more) people in which all parties involved grow; rather than a
setting in which one person manipulates the relationship to
make something happen to the other. In some ways this
formulation is in contradiction to that of the structural family
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

therapists who del i berat el y"m ani pula te " the family system and
relationships.
Resistance to authenticity and self disclosure is often char-
acteristic of the beginning therapist who is unsure of himself and
needs specific techniques to guide him. Reflection, silence, and
turning queries back to the questioner are often mere defenses
which serve as safe techniques for the novice clinician. More-
over, therapists who are rigidly controlled themselves and fear
the outcome o f " l e t t i n g go" are often comfortable with the limits
that standard techniques afford. With experience and self
assurance, a therapist should become more relaxed and con-
fident, giving advice at times when it seems necessary, laughing,
interpreting, questioning, going with the absurdities (Whitaker,
1976) and telling his own fantasies when it seems beneficial; in
short, doing whatever the therapeutic session calls for at the
moment in order to relate to a patient genuinely and honestly
and facilitate therapeutic progress.

Case Vignette III

I (B.C.) had done a psychoeducational evaluation of an attractive ten
year old girl who was having moderate reading problems. Brief
therapeutic intervention solved the problem to everyone's satis-
faction. Several months later, the parents called me for an ap-
pointment. In the session they reported that this child had suffered an
acute encephalitis attack. The result was almost total paralysis of
voluntary muscles and complete inability to use expressive language.
As the parents described the pathetic condition of this child, they both
cried and my eyes were visibly filled with tears. The future for this
youngster was bleak, I knew, more so than the parents did. On the
surface they were asking for advice about the physical therapy, speech
therapy and management of their other well child. I dealt with the
surface questions as best I could, questions as best I could, but at the
time I had lost my professional distance and thought that this was a
disservice to the parents.
Some time later, I met with these parents again. They both felt that
my reaction to their situation was the most helpful professional
interaction they had experienced in the early days of their daughter's
illness. As they put it, "When we saw that you really cared and could
show that you did, it allowed us to fully experience our grief. We had
been trying to hold back, to deal with the reality, to intellectualize the
situation. It was only after we experienced our grief that we could work
on the problems rationally."
From this and other experiences in practice, we have
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become convinced that at times, sharing one's own emotion in

the treatment relationship is therapeutically indicated. Our
observations concur with those of Jourard who frequently
thought aloud or told the patient some feeling that had invaded
his senses during an interaction, like boredom or irritation. He
did not hesitate to share his experiences, tell a relevant joke, or
disclose how he was experiencing the patient, himself, or their
relationship. For Jourard, psychotherapy was the art of pro-
moting self-disclosure and authentic being in patients who
withold their real selves from expression. Being heard and
understood by someone who "cares" seems to reinforce one's
separate identity, promote self-healing and instill a desire for
personal growth. " N o man can come to know himself except as
an outcome of disclosing himself to another person" (Jourard,
1971). We have often found that when we have allowed
ourselves to be truly"with" a patient and to respond in a sincere
and feeling way, something very therapeutic happens of which
we are not really certain until after it occurs. Reik's classic
Listening with the Third Ear (1948) describes beautifully the
tuning in and "being with" art and process.
Family therapists have been considered strong advocates of
openness and have often derided their more stoney-faced
brethern, criticizing the stance of total neutrality and the long
drawn out therapies that culminate in insight but with little
concomitant action. The family therapist enters the family
system as an active participant. Although he is aware of un-
conscious determinants and transference issues, he is likely to
center on current material, interactional processes and the
family network and is more interested in changing dysfunctional
interactional patterns than in limiting his efforts to fostering
insight and awareness. He is more willing to use himself and to
reveal some of his personal thoughts and past actions. His self
perception is likely to be that he is a genuine person, who can
"call it as it is" without resorting to surreptitious innuendos.
Through openness, willingness to express their own feelings and
through sharing of personal experiences, family therapists have
broken many professional taboos, it is precisely this willingness
to reveal oneself that is often the catalyst for establishing
important human contact with a patient (s) (Framo, 1975).
Family therapists stress the use of "1" statements for them-
selves as well as for their patients, and attempt to use them in
place of more generalized "it is" messages or many silences.
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

Not only is "willingness to risk" a part of relating to patients,

but it spills over into dealings with colleagues and students,
since much of family therapy is conducted with a co-therapist
or in front of an observation mirror. The amenability to this kind
of exposure allows for a form of peer and student criticism that is
rare in other therapeutic approaches.
Sex therapists have found value in self-disclosure with
dysfunctional couples as a means of reducing client inhibitions.
They suggest that sex therapists answer clients' questions hon-
estly and openly and volunteer information about their own
sexual behavior. Hearing therapists, whom clients cast in a role
of authority, unashamedly discuss their own enjoyment of
sexual activity, has proven to be an effective method of dis-
inhibiting clients about their own sexuality. Respected ther-
apists' disclosure concerning masturbation and oral-genital sex
takes some of the fear out of these activities and facilitates
change in the clients' attitudes toward such behavior. Such
disclosure, however, should be carefully timed if it is to achieve
maximum benefit and should not be introduced for shock value.
Rather it should be utilized sensitively to broaden the patient's
horizons so as to allow him to acknowledge the possibility of
alternative behaviors. Only after the client has gotten to know
and respect the therapist are such disclosures meaningful.
Premature therapist disclosure can produce an alienating effect
(Lobitz & Lo Piccoio, 1972). For others, this is very intimate
material and they believe their sexual preferences should not be
shared as exemplary; rather they generalize from the literature
about the frequency of certain sensual practices and their
widespread acceptability--providing a broader attitudinal per-
spective rather than a detailed accounting of their boudoir
behaviors.

BEING AUTHENTIC DOES NOT MEAN TO DISCLOSE ALL

Although it is evident that therapist self revelations can be

extremely beneficial, caution must be exercised. Indiscriminate
use of disclosure for its own sake is dangerous and destructive.
Countertransference problems constitute a severe potential
hazard. In the untrained therapist, self-disclosure can some-
times be dictated by a feeling of omniscience and a desire for
praise as well as other counter-productive unconscious needs.
The therapist who is caught up in his own "ego trip" and
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discloses out of an exaggerated sense of his own importance or

because of exhibitionistic tendencies, can severely hamper his
patient. This type of acting out is an avoidance of, rather than an
awareness of, one's responsibilities. Hopefully, the therapist
brings to the treatment process the maturity, experience and
integrity that the situation demands, as well as respect and
concern for his patients. Such attributes as empathy, under-
standing, and patience, along with thorough training and ex-
perience, a sound knowledge of theory, and a comprehensive
knowledge of self, are all prerequisites for the astute therapist.
Adequate supervision plus personal therapy can also help limit
the possibility of countertransference. Consultation (and/or
supervision) should be sought if the patient's progress becomes
stagnant. The therapist should attempt to examine his motiva-
tions carefully so as to enable him to use his personality
appropriately, wisely, and professionally. The therapist who is
too undisciplined and "loose" robs his patient of the full benefit
of treatment just as the therapist who is too tightly constrained
and functions as a mere technician (Saretsky, 1975).
Both proper amount and timing are extremely important
factors in the use of self disclosure. Simonson (1976) showed
that therapist disclosure too early can inhibit rather than facil-
itate patient confidences. Disclosure should flow from sincerity,
mature judgment, ethical considerations and sensitivity. It can
never be used merely as a technique, without appropriate
understanding. Some of the don'ts of self disclosure include:
1. Self disclosure for the therapist's ego gratification is
taboo. Anytime one brings personal experiences or feelings into
the treatment session, it should be for a specific therapeutic
purpose. It should not induce or introduce a competitive
element.
2. Clients with weak ego strength frequently need support
in the sense that the therapist stays clearly within the patient's
frame of reference and potential behavioral and skills repertoire.
Self reference can be destructive to the client who has no
realization in his cognitive domain of what the therapist is
describing in himself.
3. Clients' questions about howwould a therapist behave in
a new situation may represent excessive dependency or a way of
avoiding responsibility. An authentic answer may consist of
being open about why one decides not to answer with a content
laden reply.
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FLORENCE KASLOW, BERNARD COOPER, and MYRNA LINSENBERG

4. Self disclosure can be excessively seductive; this should

be monitored and controlled.
5. When the therapist himself is in the middle of a life
problem, discussing his own experiences with a patient can
duce confusion. Reference to similar situations in the ther-
apist's life are more likely to be illuminating after the fact, not
during the turmoil.

CONCLUSION

Therapists are in the unique position of being able to use

their own personalities, feelings and experiences to help an-
other human being understand, feel and express experiences of
his own, with the goal of facilitating personal growth. This
unusual relationship carries with it great and grave responsi-
bilities and privileges. In the curative process it seems wasteful
to disregard one of the most effective therapeutic tools that we
possess, our own creative and responsive selves. Oul willingness
to expose and share ourselves in a truly authentic fashion can be
the best corrective emotional experience that we can provide,
contradicting and overruling earlier messages to pretend, be
diplomatic (hypocritical) and not to "make waves." The ther-
apist w h o , in an o p e n , genuine way, uses his own being,
emotions and experiences as an instrument in therapy can offer
his clients a new dimension in relating that is an important part of
a healthy personality. Nowhere is this goal more eloquently
expressed than by Ackerman (1958):

Through his own being he must provide the proof to his

patients that mental health is no mirage, that it can be
achieved...The therapist personifies the ideal of mental
health as reflected in his behavior as an individual, as aliving
representative of healthy patterns of human relations;
through his attitudes, goals, values, and interpersonal re-
lations, he epitomizes a standard of a healthy social being.
Through the emotional interaction of patient and therapist,
it becomes possible to correct the patient's distorted image
of self and also his view of social reality. The ultimate test of
cure is of course, the patient's performance in life itself, the
alleviation of his suffering and dread, his confidence and
courage in facing life, his capacity to grow, to live fully, to
love and share with others the great adventure of the only
life he knows.
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As a personality construct, authenticity has not yet been

operationally defined and is too inclusive for adequate research.
Philosophically the concept is viable and the authors hope that
in the future the dimensions of authenticity will be defined in a
way that will allow for therapy outcome research and greater
ability to communicate their knowledge to new therapists. One
purpose of this article is to encourage such research. Another
aim is to persuade other therapists to consider authenticity
dimensions in their own work with clients. Jourard's (1971)
working definition of an authentic person as one who "not only
acknowledges the truth of his feelings, needs and wishes, but...
is capable of revealing his true being to the other people with
whom he has personal relationships" remains succinct and
cogent. To become trusted enough to enter the family system
and tamper with it in a dynamic enough way to bring about
significant change, one must acquire the credibility that comes
from an authentic and coherent presentation of self as therapist.

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