I am sure the therapist would not want an out of office relationship with me at this time, and vice-versa. Let me explain more about my situation and perhaps someone can advise me on how to proceed amidst all this confusion...

I am extremely committed to self-improvement, so when we are doing the therapy, I am working hard on myself, but it is in those little moments before, after, and sometimes during our sessions when the therapy is turned off for a time and our personalities come out, that I feel an intense attraction toward the therapist. We are close in age, and very similar in our interests and views. In a few more years, I will be a therapist myself.

Of course, I understand the ease in which attraction for a therapist can occur. The ally positioning of the therapist, the empathy, understanding, and acceptance all factor into this, I am aware. It is for this reason that IF I were to see the therapist in the future outside of therapy, I would want to establish a friendship first and maintain that for some time prior to any kind of romance. At the very least, I am confident we would make good friends. Or who knows? Perhaps upon getting to know the therapist personally outside the office, I will find I am not interested in having a relationship with them. It's hard to say until I actually go there.

The therapist was well aware of my attraction prior to my admitting it, but since it was verbalized on my part, the dynamic between us during therapy has shifted dramatically. I sense the therapist and I are both uncomfortable now during session and we have spoken about this. I am not so sure I can continue to see the therapist for much longer because of this, and also because I feel I have achieved a vast majority of the goals we set initially set out some time ago.

So, I am considering finding a new therapist to finish off what's left of the goals I want to accomplish, and asking the current therapist to meet sometime as friends. I do not know though if the therapist (who is an intern) is bound by the same strict guidelines as a licensed therapist, and if this would factor into their decision.

Regardless of whether the therapist would see me outside of therapy or not, I do not believe we can make much more progress together given the new dynamic inside the office. I really wish we would have met outside in the real world. It's too bad. That, or I wish I never would have verbalized my attraction since it has changed the dynamic between us.

I know some people who say ethics are in place for a reason, and as an aspiring professional in the field I can understand that, but also, I am yet to talk to someone about this who can empathize and understand the other side of this all - that we are human, and that perhaps this would be a relationship worth exploring...but it's hard to know for sure until the first step is actually taken. I am willing to do it responsibly.