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

11.06.2025 00:38

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

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

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

Off the top of my ancient head:

Why is pornography still alive and not illegal? Why doesn’t the government do about tricking women into them?

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.

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.”

Trump is shot, tackled by SS agents, yet then stands, defiant, with fist high, and 52 hours later, walks into the Republican Convention to thunderous applause. Is there anything that can stop this man, who loves his country? Does he get your vote?

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.

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

What do you think of a parent telling their adult child to “keep their personal life to themselves” in relation to talking to them? No reason they should say that it was mean what should I do?

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.

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

Why did Cartman love Heidi purely with heart, her being the first one he ever did, but then one day Butters tells him that all women are manipulative and then he began to believe that she was a bad person and pretended to be a victim?

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