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

Serious disappointment when the client cancels a session.

General Introduction to Boundaries from Panahi Counseling:

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

Smoking Rates by Country and Gender in 2025 - Visual Capitalist

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

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

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

Person arrested after security threat at Sea-Tac, flights halted - MyNorthwest.com

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

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.

Where do high school kids get weed from?

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

Obsessing about clients outside of work hours.

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

UFC fighter rips opponent after seizure causes last-second main event cancellation: ‘She’s a complete mess’ - New York Post

Off the top of my ancient head: