Are You Crossing Therapeutic Boundaries?
12 Danger Signs

1. You are spending a disproportionate amount of time with one patient.

2. You are with the patient when you are "off duty" (such as during your mealtime, after you’ve clocked out or on the weekend when you are not working).

3. Your patient stays up to see you when you are on the night shift; he or she dresses in a particular fashion prior to seeing you.

4. You believe that you are the only one who understands the patient; other staff are too critical of the patient; other staff are jealous of your relationship with the patient.

5. You tend to keep secrets with the patient; certain information is not charted or reported.

6. You tend to report and communicate only the negative or only the positive aspects of the patient’s behavior.

7. You are guarded and defensive when someone questions your interaction or relationship with the patient.

8. Your patient talks freely and spontaneously with you especially in light, superficial conversation and perhaps even with sexual overtones but remains silent and defensive with or avoids other staff.

9. Your style of dressing for work has changed since you started working with this patient.

10. You receive gifts, cards, letter, and/or personal phone calls from the patient.

11. You view the patient as "your" patient in a possessive way.

12. You tend to not accept that fact that the patient is a patient.

The information contained in the web site does not constitute legal advice. If you are a Program Participant please call (800) 245-3333 for further risk management advice or risk management advice concerning a specific situation. For legal advice contact your personal attorney.