It's a blessing and a curse to know your therapist's life.

My therapist is talkative and shares lots of stuff about her life. I use these times to practice my listening skills by asking her questions, and I try to learn some stuff in the process. Like if she talks about family drama, I'll ask why she feels the way she does. It gives me a glimpse into her personality, and it also helps me figure out what the "healthy" response is in situations.

But sometimes I don't care to hear about her life so much, especially when I can't relate to what she's talking about. It makes me feel like I'm back in the "real world", where I feel like an alien but have to hide it to be polite.

I know this sounds messed-up, but I wouldn't mind seeing my therapist show other emotions. She's either very upbeat/positive or angry (which she's never directed at me, but to her staff or people who call her phone during session). I don't know what she's like when she's sad. So that makes her two-dimensional to me and reminds me that our relationship is superficial.