Clients lie to their therapists with surprising frequency. In one study, more than 90% of clients acknowledged lying to their therapists, with more than 70% lying about topics directly related to the therapy. Their reasons for lying, and the specific things they lied about, may surprise you.
Meanwhile, therapists typically are not fully honest and transparent with their clients. And there's a strong ethical argument that we shouldn't be. Clients typically do not benefit from knowing the first moment we suspect they may have a personality disorder or other serious pathology. We typically don't want clients to know about any countertransference reactions we may have to them. And many therapists will lie to clients when we believe it necessary to protect their safety or the safety of others. If we accept all of these as not just true but in the interest of good client care, a conversation can open about *when* to be honest and transparent with clients, when to simply stay silent, and when it may be beneficial to lie.
In this advanced workshop, we'll have that conversation. We review forms of truth, ethical standards related to truth in therapy, policies that therapists adopt around secrets in couple and family work, repairing after a lie, and a number of case examples that cut directly to the limits of our desire and intention to be honest with clients.
2 hours CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)
