The practice of professional disclosure involves the acknowledgement of the client's right to autonomy and benefits client outcomes through fidelity, veracity, informed choice, the therapeutic relationship, and genuineness. Professional disclosure is hypothesized to strengthen establishment of an effective therapeutic relationship which leads to improved client outcomes. The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential signifies that the CRC is well-prepared to practice in the field and operates consistently with the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) 2010 Code of Professional Ethics. Little is known about CRC therapeutic relationship outcomes relative to the use of professional disclosure practices, especially since the issuing of the 2010 CRCC Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors. The purpose of this study was to review CRC use of the practice of professional disclosure, and its relationship to the therapeutic relationship with the client. The study utilized the results of an online survey of 249 CRCs responding to questions on the Real Relationship Inventory-Therapist (RRI-T) and the Professional Disclosure Survey-Modified (PDS-M) instruments. Simultaneous multiple regression analyses were performed between the demographic data and the two instruments. A simple linear regression was performed on the ability of the PDS-M to predict outcomes on the RRI-T. The simultaneous multiple regressions yielded relatively non-significant results, but the simple linear regression resulted in a significant effect (F(1,197)=23.4, p<.001), indicating that professional disclosure practices of the CRC enhance the therapeutic relationship (genuineness) with the client. Implications for the field via education, training, supervision, and future research are discussed.
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