Disclosure and the Development of Trust in the Therapeutic Setting.

This essay describes my personal path towards becoming an openly lesbian therapist, the internalized homophobia that interfered with this evolution, and the impact of this process on my patients. I then explore the interplay between when and how the therapist and/or the patient disclose in therapy, the link between homophobia and shame to the fear of disclosure, and the subsequent development of a more trusting therapeutic relationship that results from disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]