There really is food for thought here. On the one hand, the therapists that go above and beyond to rescue a client (emotionally, physically) are very special and operated at this high level of morality. But, as Sunrise pointed out, I believe it comes with experience and knowing your client.

On the other hand, as vulnerable clients ourselves who may not be certain when inappropriate things are being said and done, we can easily fall into exploitive situations. Can I bring up desk-T again? She never went above and beyond for me, but she did say and do some really inappropriate things. How was I to know? I took these things as the way I should be treated. As I look back, I see some of these things as hostile and downright abusive. Ive told the stories here. I am never dramatic in session, but once I said to her at the end of a session, "....I feel like I am going to fall apart..." She turned her back on me, began to do something at her computer and said, "Oh, please, you arent going to fall apart." And ignored me until I finally left. Is this ethical? I continued to see her for a long time after that. How is someone with boundaries like my own to know? And she considered herself to be of very high moral and ethical character and she said so.

Yet, when it came to my pdoc when I was a teenager, anything could have happened and I was in her hands. She was taking a risk. Maybe she didnt know she was taking such a risk? Yet she helped me more than I can say. I couldnt believe anyone would go that extra mile for me. I think, like Tree said, I had seen her for 5 years and I knew her and she knew me. I dont think she did these things in the very beginning it would have been strange. We built trust and built a relationship. I guess that is the key here, tho the T who wanted to buy the boy a bike was doing something generous and nice for the boy, he took a risk and lost. It seems like a shame he lost his license because of it.