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

08.06.2025 10:50

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

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

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

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

Are there legal obligations to report the known whereabouts of a missing person that doesn’t want to be found?

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

Off the top of my ancient head:

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

Could humans be selectively bred, like dogs, to create 2 subspecies that can no longer have offspring? Do I not understand selective breeding properly? Im not worried about the moral implications, just the science please.

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

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

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

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

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

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.

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General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling: