Hankster, yes, I do. I think it really helps the T know what we need and it also helps them feel good. If I can help my T feel good, then great! I do say things like, "that was just what I needed to hear" or "that makes me feel so good to hear that". I remember once I told him how helpful it was when he phoned me out of the blue and talked to me for about a half hour when I was in a really bad space. He asked what did he say that was so helpful? Maybe he wanted to know so he could be more effective in similar situations with other clients (or again with me, subsequently). I thought for awhile then said "it wasn't anything you said, but the sound of your voice." Not sure if that was very helpful to him!

I've thought about this thread because I keep seeing it on the front page and I can't really think of something I want my T to tell me. He already seems to say the right things. Sometimes he says to me in the session, "what are you needing from me today?" And that gives me a chance to look inside and find the answer and tell him. So he knows what I need and then can provide that. But this is always different, so it is not a need I have to hear him say a specific thing all the time that he hasn't ever provided. Rather than a specific thing I need him to say, I need him to do things--like just keep being the great T he is, listening to me, talking to me, connecting with me, sharing himself with me, being who he truly is with me, etc.

For Rose: