Do different kinds of therapists have different boundaries?

I used to see a Pdoc for a year or two, many years ago, and this person was surprisingly distant. No touch of any kind (said it's ethically against the rules), nothing personal shared. Good therapist but I never felt that sense of closeness with this person.

When I saw a therapist, a person with masters in counseling psych, this person was more friendly and closer and more likely to share things personal. I don't know why, but today I was reminded of that, of whether the difference between the two was based on personality differences, different ethical rules (as devised by professional societies that had licensed them), or different nature of the jobs they had.

There are many different kinds of therapists out there. Example:

Licensed professional counselor
Psychiatrist
Psychoanalyst
Marriage/family therapist
Licensed clinical social worker
Psychologist
etc

Do you think it is reasonable to expect that they would have different kinds of boundaries based on their title and their job, or are differences in boundaries always based on personality differences (or mode of therapy, as in when humanist therapists share more personal details).

Thank you very much for sharing your view, especially if you've had experiences with different sorts of therapists over the years.

I think it varies based on their approach to therapy, their style, their personality, and their experiences.

Psychiatrists are known for being more detached than then other types of providers you list. Personally I think this is largely due to training with the medical model focus on medication. Since they attend medical school, psychiatrists receive little to no training in therapy. Social workers and licensed couselors hdon't really train in the medical model like PhDs and MD's, and that affects how they approach clients. It's a more balanced dynamic as well: service provider/client, rather than doctor/patient.

I agree. Different approaches.

My old psychiatrist moved away and I got a new one. Completely different. I loved the old one. Hugs were fine, gave email to stay in contact...instead of hearing I owned firearms and trying to have them taken she actually went beyond the simple answer and deemed it not only unnecessary but wrote a letter to the sheriffs department on my behalf stating she believed I should get a concealed carry permit. She would constantly share personal stories and relate. Progress was actually made with her.

New one is a complete rude...enter word here. Standoffish. Cold. Get the feeling she would stab me in the back in a heart beat. Do not trust her at all. Did nothing but clash with her. Don't even want to go back because it did more harm than good. Her approach was a 180, and horrible.

There are different "schools" of therapy and within those schools there are personal differences. And probably therapists share more with some patients than others.

Interesting point about psychiatrists because mine, though did therapy with me on a bi-weekly basis, seemed distant. At first I thought my doctor hated me. Then thought the doc was afraid of me. I kept thinking what had I done, and stopped expressing anger in the session. It took me a few months before I started to express anger once again, when I basically ran out of reasons as to why this person would be like that. It did not help that my psychiatrist also had a huge office. I could literally feel the distance.

Not the masters level therapist though, so friendly and shared some stuff with me, like a picture of her dog. I miss her.

Seems like finding the right therapist is as hard as finding your soul mate! There is the occupation (e.g. psychiatrist vs psychologist), the therapy modality (e.g. humanistic vs CBT), the therapist's personality (extroverted vs introverted), their cultural background (some cultures are more comfortable with touch), their educational background, etc.

Perhaps even things like race, religion, sexual orientation, age, etc, also matter, in terms of finding a better match and a person who is more understanding of your issues, on an emotional level. A therapist who was once a refugee, may be more aware of problem of being excluded or the powerlessness, on a more personal and intimate level, than would be your average therapist. But intellectually, of course, every educated therapist does learn about multicultural issues and human psychology, it's not like they're clueless. But still I note that many people want to know that person understands them on an emotional level. Like gay people might choose a gay therapist, especially when one of their main problems at the time is related to their identity.

But I digress. Maybe in future therapy will become this perfect science, when even a robot can provide the same therapy, just as anybody can provide medications, and you still get some good results.

It's true. Finding the right therapist can be a long and discouraging process.

Good luck!

I have seen a huge difference in the many different approaches and styles the ts use. Most person centred ts are very open and honest about their personal lives., psychodynamic ones too, cbt s not so open or friendly. All of the gestalt therapists I know and my trainers take more risks. They are creative, they use touch and share lots about themselves. I am learning a lot from them that touch is actually healing in therapy. It has a place and also gestalt therapist s have completely different boundaries
They are willing to meet with the client more as needed and see themselves as equals to clients.

Hmm, i'm not sure boundaries and emotional distance are the same thing, but in terms of emotional distance, I see it mostly how CantExplained CouldExplain it.

My LCSW CBT therapist was very distant, but my last T, who was a psychiatrist/analyst, was very warm (he's the one I discussed on my last thread). Current therapist is a psychologist/analyst, he is lovable too but much more distant than my last one, the psychiatrist.

haha it does seem kind of like deciding on someone to marry!

I agree that training effects approach, but I also think that the therapist or psychiatrist's personality and personal style also very much comes into play. My current pdoc just happens to be extremely warm, open, funny and shares a lot and I feel very comfortable and safe with her. Same with my LCSW T. They both have very flexible boundaries.

It could also be that a T picks up on what will work for an individual, boundary-wise and works with that, keeping in mind what they are comfortable with themselves.

People (including therapists) also can change their boundaries according to the situation that is going on, the people involved, and how they are feeling at the time. I have different boundaries with the people I encounter every day and with my family and with the people i work with. And my boundaries are flexible. My t is the same way.

I think that since all clients are different, there will never be a time when all therapy is the same. In fact, one reason why therapy is more effective today is surely that there are more different varieties.

But yeah, perfect therapists are as much of a myth as soul mates!

As for my personal experiences - the first T I was in contact with many years ago was super cold, unfriendly and distant - I only saw her one time. Her first degree was as a social worker. My first "real" T, whom I went to for therapy for five or six months, was a psychologist before training as a T. I recall her as being friendly but rigid, and I didn't feel that she understood me very well. Second T, whom I saw for about eight months, was a clinical psychologist before her T training; she was kind but did not live on my planet at all, and she had very strict rules. My third and current T is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and he is warm, genuinely invested in my well being, and the first health care person ever who has taken the time to actually understand me. He does have rules and boundaries but very few of them are not flexible. I think he could be open about his personal life if I were to ask him questions about it, but I genuinely don't want to know and he doesn't volunteer very much. Which is appropriate since it would make me less able to be open with him.

I think it depends on a lot.
1. The person's characteristics (use of self in therapy is a big thing)
2. What school they was educated at
3. What their degree is in
4. Past experience
5. Types of clients they've had
and there's more

Would be good to get some other members input too, ones with experiences with different kinds of therapists. Archipelago's one. I think s/he does therapy with a person who is both a psychiatrist and also a psychoanalyst (or does psychoanalysis). Yet the way Archipelago describes this person it seems they are quite chummy, which does not make sense to me. Both psychoanalysis and psychiatry seem more distant. Perhaps the therapist here is also a humanist, I don't know. Or maybe more lax boundaries and closeness comes from years they've been together. Though as far as I know, many therapists don't change their boundaries just based on long time knowing somebody. In other words, boundaries for them are not personal, more like based on their profession or approach.

My T told me that yes they have different boundaries but I think it more depends on T.

I thought I was the only one!!!

Ruftin, lol, you're not.