How can you determine if your therapist has crossed professional boundaries and become too emotionally invested in your relationship as a patient/client?
Last Updated: 21.06.2025 06:57
Do these actions feel right to you, or do they make you feel uncomfortable? Do you feel you can speak about these feelings with your therapist, either with appreciation or with vaguely concealed anexiety? If not, is there another professional you can seek out to discuss your concerns?
While there are some boundary crossings that are clearly spelled out and have professional and legal implications ( your therapist should not attempt to date you, invite you on vacation or give you lavish gifts) some potential boundary crossings are in the eyes of the participants ( Say, if your therapist sends you a card when you graduate from college or a storybook when your first child is born. )
The graduation card may have been sent in genuine appreciation for the hard work you have put in to arrive at where you are. You may appreciate your therapist’s recognition of your efforts. But if the card creeps you out, it may mean your therapist has made a major miscalculation about where your boundaries stand. Maybe that’s a conversation worth having with your therapist. Or maybe it’s a flashing red light signaling it’s time for you to get out and move on.
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I guess you’ll have to trust your own instincts on this.
Therapy is at times very hard work. Sometimes it’s the therapist’s job to ask questions that make you feel uncomfortable. Those questions are not boundary issues and you will likely find it to your personal benefit to try to wrestle with them.
But a Welcome Baby copy of Make Way for Duckings? Some clients might find that a meaningful, celebratory easing of recognized boundaries. But others may find they do not want their therapy to enter the Nursery, even if it comes cloaked in the feathers of the resolutely maternal Mother Mallard. There is no right here. There is no wrong. You are free to call it as you feel it. It’s yours to own.