Therapist guilt is real and it’s one of the fastest ways to burn out, blur boundaries, and sabotage the therapeutic process. This webinar dives into the emotional and ethical complexities of feeling responsible for your clients’ outcomes. Participants will learn to recognize the signs of maladaptive rescue fantasies, over-functioning, and clinical over-responsibility. Through case examples and practical strategies, we’ll explore how to manage therapist guilt without abandoning empathy and how to hold space for clients without trying to “save” them.

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define therapist guilt and recognize its manifestations in clinical practice, including how it impacts boundaries, objectivity, and client outcomes.
• Differentiate between healthy empathy and maladaptive rescue fantasies, identifying how over-functioning and over-responsibility contribute to therapist burnout and impaired clinical judgment.
• Apply evidence-based strategies and ethical decision-making models to manage therapist guilt, maintain professional boundaries, and support client autonomy.