There are many clients for whom a question like that is too direct, and the T will "scare" the client away or make them clam up. So Ts have to learn to sidle up to some clients in a less direct way. However, for every client that needs a less direct approach, there is probably one that does better if the questions are asked directly (like you, pachy). So the most skilled Ts probably try to get to know all that early in therapy and use language ever so carefully, in an individualized way, with each client. What a job!

I see in my own T, his hits and misses. Last time he said a phrase to me that was an exact copy of a phrase I used with him a session or two back. He had never used that phrase himself before with me. It was like he was parrotting what I said. Trying to mirror me so exactly, that I would... Do what? I didn't like it! I felt it was a rather blunt instrument he used to try to accomplish... something. It wasn't a big deal to me, but just something I noted inside fleetingly as he said that (to which I made no comment, LOL).