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

Last Updated: 02.07.2025 01:52

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

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

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

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

Neuroscience breakthroughs: Surprising truths about memory revealed in 7 recent studies - PsyPost

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

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

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

Vandals slash tires on dozens of vehicles in West Michigan - MLive.com

Off the top of my ancient head:

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

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.

FBC: Firebreak Gets Update 1.2 as Remedy Promises Lots More Fixes - Wccftech

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

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

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

DNA Analysis Finally Expose Leonardo da Vinci's Mysterious Lineage Across 21 Generations—And They Hold Dark Secrets - The Daily Galaxy

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