Understanding Boundaries and Containment in Clinical Practice

The authors propose to investigate the meaning and purpose of boundaries within and around the therapeutic experience. A boundary is more than a simple line delineating one space from another; it is an entity with properties that demand a response if they are to be negotiated. Boundaries circumscribe a space that can be viewed objectively, or experienced subjectively, as a 'container'. For the uninitiated, this therapeutic container can be difficult to penetrate. Even health professionals such a