What are some signs that a therapist may have poor boundaries with their clients?

Last Updated: 02.07.2025 00:26

What are some signs that a therapist may have poor boundaries with their clients?

Failing to mention the client in supervision/consultation, out of fear the supervisor/consultant will advise return to ordinary healthy boundaries.

Disclosing feelings, fantasies, and experiences to the client in ways not related to the work the client is engaged in.

Struggling with fantasies of deeper connections with clients, whether sexual or parental or other intense or intimate relationships beyond psychotherapy.

Fossils show colonies of reptiles lived communally 250 million years ago - Phys.org

Session-expressed curiosities about client details not relevant to the therapy.

Eager anticipation (or anxious anticipation) of the next session in ways that distract.

Sense of competition with persons who are important in the client’s life.

Devil’s Third director says panned Wii U game was innovative for its time - Nintendo Everything

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

Frequent phoning or texting of clients to “check up on them and make sure they’re OK.”

The FDA Launches Its Generative-AI Tool, Elsa, Ahead of Schedule - Gizmodo

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

Off the top of my ancient head:

Routinely going over the time limit with certain patients, compromising the time for the next client.

Meta Stock Hits Three-Month High After AI Ad Automation Report; Advertising Stocks Fall - Investor's Business Daily

These items can happen fleetingly, briefly, in any therapy, but if they’re frequent, it’s definitely time for the therapist to get some good, solid supervision/consultation.