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

12.06.2025 06:16

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

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

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.

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

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

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

How did a computer scientist such as Geoffrey Hinton manage to win a Nobel Prize in physics when computer science already has its own Nobel Prize equivalent in the Turing Awards?

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

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

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

My marriage is fixed. My future husband repeatedly calls me to meet me in private and pressure me to have a relationship. What should I do?

Off the top of my ancient head:

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

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

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