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

Last Updated: 02.07.2025 02:29

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

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

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.

Are you afraid to get married and why?

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

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

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

Why are there posts saying the T in LGBT should be dropped? With what is happening in the US and beyond against the trans community cause for concern that if this is accepted could it be deemed acceptable to start on the LGB community again?

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

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

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

Molestiae quas aut aut quisquam eum aut.

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

Off the top of my ancient head:

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

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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.