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

12.06.2025 13:10

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

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

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

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

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

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

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

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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.

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

Off the top of my ancient head:

Why do people turn a blind eye to bad behaviour if someone is very good looking? Whereas if someone is ugly, they get harshly judged for everything?

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

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

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

How would you feel if your friend confided in you that she is cheating on her husband, knowing that he loves her deeply? What emotional and ethical considerations would you grapple with in response to her revelation?

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