This is probably really a case by case thing, especially working in a residential facility.

That being said, in DBT skills class, our teacher has chosen to be quite revealing of how she has applied skills in difficult situations in her own life, in a way that makes clear that she uses them because she NEEDED them at one point in the same way that we do. Nothing TOO deeply personal but her family comes up now and then. She does it in a way that makes it a lot easier to connect with her. DBT isn't inpatient, but there is a place for this I think.

A lot of blanket policies are written for the lowest common denominator. Disclosing info like this CAN backfire and it does take skill and mindfulness and not every clinician will be capable of that, so in terms of policy, it's better from the eye of the organization just to ban it completely.

The best mental health professionals I've worked with over my LONG history in the system were the ones who would bend the rules when it was called for.