Patient-therapist boundary issues: an integrative review of theory and research

Prof Psychol Res Pr. 1995;26(5):499-506. doi: 10.1037/0735-7028.26.5.499.

Abstract

Boundary issues, which regularly arise in therapy, can present dilemmas for clinicians. The purpose of this article is to help clinicians resolve these dilemmas by integrating some of the theoretical positions with empirical evidence reported in the literature on boundary issues in counseling and psychotherapy. The authors review the concept of treatment boundaries and the ethical principles that underpin them. They also review common boundary violations and provide recommendations to attenuate harm done to clients when such boundary violations occur in therapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Codes of Ethics
  • Counseling / ethics
  • Ethics, Professional
  • Female
  • Friends
  • Gift Giving
  • Health Personnel
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Professional Misconduct*
  • Professional-Patient Relations*
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Psychotherapy / ethics*
  • Self Disclosure
  • Sexual Behavior