Personally, I like it that my therapist doesn't get up and offer me a tissue. I know that people often feel compelled to do the "proper" thing--offer someone a tissue when they begin to cry. But if you think about it, giving someone a tissue can also be a way of conveying a message of, "Here, wipe those tears away!" I think that if the tissues are in easy eye sight of the client (and that should be standard in a therapist's office ), then the therapist should be accepting and calm in the eye of the client's emotional storm.

Personally, in my own therapy, I often grab a tissue in anger and wipe or rub my eyes as if to eliminate the evidence. I know that I've asked my therapist if my eyes are red or I look like I've "been doing the ugly cry?" before I leave her office. It is shameful to me to have anyone outside of her office to see my eyes red enough for them to know that I have been crying. How sad! How absolutely sad that I can't allow myself to experience the genuine feelings. I often attempt to stop the tears (inhibited grieving) and that's definitely not a good thing either. I do appreciate that my therapist does not overreact or underreact to my tears.