| Course | PAC 120 Multicultural Advocacy |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Disclosure and confrontation analysis |
| Length | About 1,127 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 120 Module 5
"Have You Ever Used?" and "That's Not What the Test Says": Empathic Self-Disclosure and Confrontation With a Client Who Distrusts Professionals
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 120: Multicultural Advocacy
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
"Have You Ever Used?" and "That's Not What the Test Says": Empathic Self-Disclosure and Confrontation With a Client Who Distrusts Professionals
Brandon is twenty-four and grew up in a small paper-mill town in northern Wisconsin. His father and two uncles worked at the mill until it cut half its jobs, and Brandon was prescribed opioids after a hockey injury at seventeen. He moved to Milwaukee for work three years ago and has spent six weeks in outpatient care at Northside, the imaginary agency these papers share, taking buprenorphine and attending individual sessions with me, a counselor in training. Early on he told me that in his family counselors were college people who never had real problems and who liked telling working people what was wrong with them. This paper analyzes two moments with Brandon, one calling for a decision about self-disclosure and one calling for confrontation. Brandon and Northside are composites written for teaching; the research cited is real.
Research on Self-Disclosure
Henretty and Levitt (2010) reviewed research on therapist self-disclosure, meaning statements in which therapists reveal something personal about themselves. Across studies, disclosure tended to have positive or neutral effects. Clients often perceived disclosing therapists as warmer and more human, and disclosure could strengthen the relationship and help clients feel less alone. The authors also identified conditions under which disclosure was more helpful: when it was infrequent, when it was relevant to the client's concerns, when it was similar to the client's experience and when the therapist quickly returned the focus to the client. Disclosures that were frequent, lengthy or centered on the therapist's needs risked burdening clients or shifting the session away from them.
Hill et al. (2018) reviewed qualitative studies of therapist disclosure and immediacy, which means talking about the therapy relationship in the moment. Disclosures were often followed by client insight, stronger relationships and a sense that the client's experience was normal, though occasional disclosures had negative effects, especially when they seemed to serve the therapist.
The First Moment: "Have You Ever Used?"
In our third session, Brandon leaned back and asked, "Have you ever used? Like, actually used?" I had prepared for the question with my supervisor. I have never used opioids, but my family includes people who have struggled with addiction.
The disclosure met Henretty and Levitt's conditions: it was brief, honest, relevant and quickly returned to Brandon. Equally important was what I did not say. I did not tell my family's story, and I did not pretend that my experience matched his. For a client raised to distrust professionals who claim to understand working people, an honest admission of limits carried more weight than a show of shared experience.
| Speaker | Words | Annotation |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon | "Have you ever used? Like, actually used?" | A test of whether I can understand him; also about class and credibility |
| Me | "No, I haven't used opioids. I've watched people I love struggle with addiction, so I've seen some of what it costs. But I don't know what it's like from the inside the way you do." | Honest, brief, relevant; claims no false equality |
| Me | "What makes that important to you to know?" | Returns the focus to Brandon |
| Brandon | "Because everybody who tells me what to do never had to deal with it." | His real concern: being judged by people who have not lived it |
| Me | "So you're wondering whether I'm one more person telling you what to do from the outside." | Reflection of meaning; names the class dynamic gently |
| Brandon | "Yeah. Kind of." (laughs) "At least you didn't pretend." | The relationship holds; honesty counted |
Research on Confrontation
For decades, addiction treatment relied heavily on confrontation, on the theory that people with addiction were in denial and had to be forced to face the truth. Miller et al. (1993) tested this belief directly. Problem drinkers received a brief check-up with feedback on their drinking, delivered by counselors using either a directive, confrontational style or a client-centered style. A year later, the clients of the client-centered counselors had reduced their drinking more. The most striking finding concerned individual counselor behavior: the more a counselor confronted the client during the session, the more the client was drinking a year later. Confrontation did not break through denial; it predicted worse outcomes.
Empathic confrontation is different. It means noticing and naming a discrepancy, between what a client says and what they do, or between two things they say or value, and inviting the client to examine it, without arguing, labeling or accusing.
The Second Moment: "That's Not What the Test Says"
In our sixth session, Brandon's urine test was positive for fentanyl. When I mentioned the test, he said, "I've been clean. The test is wrong."
| Speaker | Words | Annotation |
|---|---|---|
| Me | "You're telling me you've been clean, and the test came back positive for fentanyl. Those two don't line up, and I'm not sure what to make of that." | Names the discrepancy plainly, without a verdict |
| Brandon | "So you think I'm lying." | Hears accusation, as his history leads him to |
| Me | "I think something happened that's hard to talk about, especially with someone whose job includes writing it down. I'm not here to catch you. I'm here to figure out what would help." | Acknowledges the power dynamic; restates purpose |
| Brandon | (long pause) "It was one time. Saturday. My buddy came by." | The truth arrives without a fight |
| Me | "One time, with a friend who came by. And on Monday you came back in here anyway." | Reflects the lapse and his return as a strength |
| Brandon | "I didn't want to lose this." | Change talk |
Guidelines for Practice
Five guidelines emerge from these moments and the research. First, disclose only when it serves the client, and know in advance what you will and will not share. Second, keep disclosures brief and return the focus to the client immediately. Third, in confrontation, name a discrepancy rather than delivering a verdict, and do not argue. Fourth, acknowledge power: a counselor who documents test results and may report to employers or courts is not a neutral party, and saying so builds trust. Fifth, consider how the client's culture, including class, region and family experience with institutions, shapes how they will hear both skills. For Brandon, honesty about limits and directness without judgment mattered more than warmth alone.
Conclusion
Two moments with Brandon tested two advanced skills. A brief, honest disclosure that returned to him showed that I would not pretend, and an empathic confrontation that named a discrepancy without accusation allowed him to tell the truth about Saturday. Henretty and Levitt and Hill, Knox and Pinto-Coelho show when disclosure helps, and Miller, Benefield and Tonigan show why the old style of confrontation should be retired. Brandon is still in treatment, and he tested negative at our last session.
References
Henretty, J. R., & Levitt, H. M. (2010). The role of therapist self-disclosure in psychotherapy: A qualitative review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(1), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.09.004
Hill, C. E., Knox, S., & Pinto-Coelho, K. G. (2018). Therapist self-disclosure and immediacy: A qualitative meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 445-460. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000182
Miller, W. R., Benefield, R. G., & Tonigan, J. S. (1993). Enhancing motivation for change in problem drinking: A controlled comparison of two therapist styles. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(3), 455-461. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.61.3.455
Reading the PAC 120 Module 5 assignment instructions
The fifth module of PAC 120 moves to two advanced skills, disclosure and confrontation, and the assignment generally asks you to show how each can be used with empathy rather than as self-display or attack. Your Aspen course's Module 5 assignment is the one to follow; the client here is invented. Define each skill and how it differs from its harmful version. Use research to show when disclosure helps and when confrontation harms. Present both moments in dialogue with the client's response. Address how culture, including class and region, shapes how a client hears each skill. End with guidelines you can apply, citing every study in APA 7, and keep the client's dignity in view throughout.
How the PAC 120 Module 5 example is put together
Brandon's father and uncles worked at the mill and called counselors college people who never had real problems. In session three he asks, "Have you ever used?" The paper reviews Henretty and Levitt's Clinical Psychology Review article and Hill, Knox and Pinto-Coelho's Psychotherapy meta-analysis, then annotates the counselor's brief answer and return to Brandon. In session six his urine test shows fentanyl and he says he has been clean. Miller, Benefield and Tonigan's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology trial shows why confrontation backfires. The annotated empathic confrontation names the discrepancy without accusation. Five guidelines cover purpose, brevity, return to the client, discrepancy rather than verdict and the client's cultural lens.
Where the marks sit in the PAC 120 Module 5 rubric
Papers on advanced skills earn credit when they distinguish the skill from its misuse, support claims with research and show the skill in dialogue with its effect. This example defines empathic confrontation as pointing out a discrepancy with care, not arguing, and supports the distinction with Miller, Benefield and Tonigan's striking finding. The disclosure exchange shows a brief, honest answer that returns to Brandon, consistent with the review evidence. Attention to class culture shows multicultural awareness beyond race and ethnicity. The guidelines are specific enough to apply in the next session, and the paper reports what happened afterward, so the reader can judge whether the skills actually helped.
PAC 120 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students often present confrontation as telling clients the truth they do not want to hear. Explain the difference between empathic confrontation, which names a discrepancy with care, and directive confrontation, which research links to worse outcomes. Another weakness is self-disclosure that centers the counselor; keep disclosures brief and return to the client. Show both skills in dialogue and include the client's response. Address culture, including class and region, since clients hear disclosure and confrontation through their own experiences with authority. Do not disclose details you would regret sharing. If you are in recovery yourself, discuss your agency's policy and talk with your supervisor before disclosing it to any client.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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PAC 120 Module 5 questions, answered
What does PAC 120 Module 5 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 120 covers empathic self-disclosure and empathic confrontation in this module, so showing both in dialogue with research support is typical. See your Module 5 prompt.
Should counselors tell clients about their own experiences?
Sometimes. Henretty and Levitt's review suggests disclosure tends to help when it is infrequent, brief, relevant and quickly returns the focus to the client.
Does confronting clients about their drinking work?
Miller, Benefield and Tonigan found that the more counselors confronted problem drinkers, the more the clients drank a year later.
Where can I find a free PAC 120 Module 5 sample paper?
The full paper is posted above: two moments with a client who distrusts professionals, analyzed for empathic self-disclosure and confrontation.
What is empathic confrontation?
Pointing out a discrepancy between what a client says and does, or between two things they say, with care and without judgment, so the client can examine it.