I have a lawyer persona and a teaching persona and they are both somewhat different from my friends and family persona. I think the OP was expressing surprise at how different the two personas of her t were, not that there was a difference at all. Just because one wants to be a therapist or is interested in the pseudo science of therapy does not mean they are naturally gifted at dealing with others, particularly others who can present as needy, wounded, lost, etc. So one would have to learn how to do one's job and that might mean developing a caring persona if that was not one's natural way of approaching the world. For me, as long as the t is relatively less crazy than I am for the 50 minutes I am there, I do not worry what she is like or not like the rest of the time. I sort of assume they are bat crazy in their regular lives. However, bumping up to a persona that is not the usual one encounters, particularly if cold and harsh, would seem to me to be difficult to negotiate. Students have difficulty with me when they recognize me outside of the school. I usually do not recognize them, even if I do recognize them, I don't remember their names, and I am much less interesting in real life than they imagine me to be. And more sarcastic.