Bethany Woods

Self-disclosure for mental health practitioners can have benefits for the therapeutic relationship. Most practitioners, however, are wary of doing so, or do not know how to navigate this. This paper aims to present a comprehensive framework to assist mental health practitioners when choosing to self-disclose lived experiences. This framework was created by a working group of academics, clinicians, service users and recovery workers, based on an international project investigating self-disclosure among professionals. Results from this project informed the content of this framework, considering theoretical models of supervision to guide development. The Sharing Lived Experiences Framework (SLEF) details six areas for practitioners to consider: Preparedness, Confidence, Competence, Relevance, Comfort and Supervision. The connection between preparedness and supervision is emphasised. Preliminary data on the SLEF indicates that staff felt more able to navigate disclosure after training on this framework. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive framework to guide practitioners through the disclosure process; from planning, to in-the-moment considerations, to post-disclosure reflection. Although limited available data exist on clinical utility, the SLEF crucially provides a framework for supervision discussions and guided self-reflection for a full range of practitioners on a range of lived experiences.