(Peaches) >>> What bothers me though is that we've been working a long time on helping me to feel OK about expressing my emotions. If i express how i feel about her, and she ignores or sidesteps what i've said, and doesn't respond, what effect does that have on me? It makes me feel bad for telling her how i feel. It makes me not want to anymore because it didn't go over well. I feel like i'm the only one being vulnerable and saying how i feel, and she's got all the power. It leaves me with the feeling that i said something i should not have said/felt something i should not have felt.
Wow, all of this is excellent !! - you don't say that you said all this to yr T, I wonder if you did? (or if not, could you?) It's so clearly expressed, and really deserves to be examined by the two of you. don't let the topic slip away until you feel that you have your answers.

>>> she told me what she thought of me, that i was kind, loving, and compassionate.
think about the people you've met in your life who could be described that way, Peaches... do they leave you cold? Or on the contrary, do you esteem them? are you happy to see them, to be with them? T is a human being too (and a well-adjusted one, or you'd know it by now), and will have a normal response to a kind, loving and compassionate person.

>>> She said that i'm hard on myself, sometimes extremely so.
Yup... But just because she doesn't effuse, doesn't at all mean she doesn't respect, like, admire, or feel a fondness for you, and want your real good. That conclusion (that she doesn't) is drawn by Peaches, who is sometimes extremely hard on herself. Now I realize that that sounds harsh, but it's just the kind of conclusion I would draw, and I am known to be hard on myself too...

>>> She never told me if I was right or wrong in saying that she was uncomfortable about my attachment to her
Attachment, from what I read, is almost an essential part of the therapeutic process; it's not equal in type or intensity on both sides, and can't be... some Ts are indeed uncomfortable with it; some like Yalom are so focused on it that it's downright tiresome. You may remember that our own Treehouse jokingly (OK, maybe half jokingly, Tree? ) accused her own T of being a narcissist for bringing the discussion around to that attachment so much

>>> I really believe my t is doing her best to help me. ..[...] In all honesty, i don't expect her to love me, but is it too much to want her to think enough of our relationship to be a little bit touched when i compliment her or tell her what she means to me?
not in my opinion, dear Peaches..
Believe that she is doing her best; and you do the same. I'm sorry it hurts, therapy is not to make us feel good... my T said, the ability to tolerate [anxiety, fear, not knowing, etc] is healing. Stinks though, don't it.