Logo

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

12.06.2025 02:20

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

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.

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

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

What life lesson did you learn the hard way?

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

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

Observations from Day 5 of OTAs - Cleveland Browns

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

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

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

Why does Boko Haram attack its own Muslims?

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

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

Off the top of my ancient head:

China Considers Ordering Hundreds of Airbus Jets in Major Deal - Bloomberg.com

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