Because it is a "real" relationship, I think therapists naturally disclose more over time as they become comfortable with clients, for the same reasons that most of us don't spill all our secrets on the first session.

I'm sure T's do some "testing" when self disclosing, watching for a reaction that suggests whether it's positive or negative for the client. Self disclosure is one way to connect with people, it can increase intimacy, it can make clients feel heard and understood.

I think it does all those things for me in therapy. My T, compared to my other T's (at least one was pretty committed to the blank slate) tells me a lot about his life and himself. I identify with the way that Chris described her T. But I never feel like he is making it about him, although I do sometimes wonder briefly if he should give so much of himself away. It feels very generous to me, and he's been generous in other ways by repeatedly telling me that I can call him outside sessions (and being available when I do), coming in from his "staycation" to meet with me, meeting at a time earlier than he would prefer, etc etc.

Anne