I asked my previous T this once..............about how doesn't the emotional energy required to be a T exhaust you at times? He said that he may not be that sensitive in other areas of his life, but he knew it was needed in here and he found it energizing.

There is a lot that Ts get personally from their interactions with clients, esp. the good Ts. They get to experience intimacy on a very personal basis........without being vulnerable or taking risks and they have the power in that situation. I think when you think of intimacy..........you might be thinking of it from the perspective of a client............meaning that it's all about you, both the good and bad. In real life situations though it is a give and take and we experience different levels of intimacy with different people based on our common interests and such. It is quite different in therapy.

I think the fact that you said this........(which I totally understand by the way)
....HOW ON EARTH do they find the emotional energy to do that all day everyday!

shows how much you appreciate your T and also how hard that is for you, like me as well. I just stopped therapy with my previous T(he's graduating), started with a new one...........and the emotional energy that transition required of myself is tough on me. I asked my previous T how he did this without his heart breaking in half each time................that is letting clients go(as I could not do it)...........he said it is hard but they are trained in it and that although I'm important to him and he is sad, I have more invested in the relationship than he did, which is true. I think a T can be completely emotional intimate with a client, that it is real and reciprocal in ways as far as the feelings................they have to temper that with a little detachment though(which clients do not have) because otherwise you are right, they would burn out and not be able to find the emotional energy to deal with it if it became a more personal relationship for the T.