As a result, students may be led to believe that therapists must remain strong and neutral, and that tears are unprofessional and undermine a therapist's strictly defined role. Yet tears are common for many therapists, research suggests.

In line with this, Curtis and Hart (2015) found that therapists admit to intentionally deceiving clients; however, “mainly with the intent of protecting clients” (p. 290). Therefore, therapist dishonesty may in fact be a necessary tool for the sake of therapeutic tact and protection of the client.

If a therapist talks excessively about themselves or overly discloses personal information, cannot accept constructive criticism, or refuses to discuss what the process will be like and what kind of progress can reasonably be expected, they are likely not the best choice for most clients.