I echo the others. Pretty much, empathy and being comfortable with others expressing their emotions are two of the most important things in therapy, along with being genuine and unconditional positive regard. My T embodies all of these characteristics. If one or two were missing, it would have been catastrophic for me.

I guess I'm wondering too, if you hated your first experience with therapy, and you don't have empathy, even in your personal life with friends or family, what initially made you want to be a counselor? I feel like we all have propensities towards certain careers, which have to do with our natural abilities and strengths. Many things can be learned and taught, but if it doesn't come naturally, it may never develop strongly enough. For instance, I love gymnastics. my mother was on a gymnastics team. I grew up taking gymnastics, watching it on tv, etc. When push came to shove, despite my practice, the natural aptitude was not there. Sure, I was ok. I was never great. Perhaps what you are doing now is a better fit than psychotherapy?