Traditionally, therapists have been trained to keep silent about many of their personal values, the rationale being that the therapist's personal values, preferences, and predilections tend to contaminate and complicate the patient-therapist interaction. Thus, rather than burdening the patient with the therapist's values, it is considered more important and therapeutic for the patient to discover his or her own. While this position has merit, it is unrealistic and perhaps even harmful. For one thing, it is impossible for a therapist to interact with another human being for a period of time without the other person becoming aware of the therapist's values on a number of subjects, no matter how strenuously the therapist may try to present a "neutral" facade. For another, a totally neutral or opaque therapist may be deleterious because what the patient urgently needs is a relationship with a real human being rather than an impersonal analytic technician. In any case, some of the therapist's values seem to be essential for the therapeutic enterprise whereas others are not. While there may be a number of values to which all psychotherapists subscribe {e.g., commitment to alleviate suffering and fostering personality growth), there is considerable disagreement on many others (e.g., therapist's self-disclosures on a variety of topics, advocacy of particular ethical or religious positions, etc.).