The nature, motives, and perceived consequences of therapist dishonesty.

Honest communication between therapists and clients is an essential part of the process and values of psychotherapy, but the topic of therapist dishonesty has remained virtually unexplored. This study examined the prevalence, motivations, and perceived consequences of therapist dishonesty. Data were compiled from a Qualtrics survey, including several open-ended questions, of 401 practicing psychotherapists. Findings revealed that virtually all respondents acknowledged having been dishonest with their clients at least once, most often about their own emotional health and their attentiveness in session, and that they were significantly more likely to engage in covert than overt dishonesty. Most felt their dishonesty was in the service of their clients' therapy or wellbeing and perceived no negative consequences of such actions. Novice therapists reported being dishonest with their clients more frequently than therapists with more experience. Directions for future research, as well as the need for training programs to introduce students to this issue, are noted.

The therapist's dilemma: Tell the whole truth?

Honest communication between therapist and client is foundational to good psychotherapy. However, while past research has focused on client honesty, the topic of therapist honesty remains almost entirely untouched. Our lab's research seeks to explore the role of therapist honesty, how and why therapists make decisions about when to be completely honest with clients (and when to abstain from telling the whole truth), and the perceived consequences of these decisions. This article reviews findings from our preliminary research, presents a case study of the author's honest disclosure dilemma, and discusses the role of therapeutic tact and its function in the therapeutic process.

Aesthetics and the psychotherapist's office.

The physical spaces in which we conduct psychotherapy are an important yet underacknowledged aspect of psychotherapeutic work. Although a few contemporary publications have provided suggestions for the creation of welcoming, comfortable, and efficient practice spaces, considerations of what it means to transform a room into a therapeutic space have remained largely absent from recent literature. This paper reviews the existing literature on this subject and describes the ways in which the therapist's office is intimately tied to several processes of the therapy itself, by way of creating an adaptive environment that is able to meet the needs of both therapist and client over the course of their work together.