Many of us need to have a relationship with our T, and it "needs" to feel real. It's fine if you go to therapy for different reasons. Therapy is not "one size fits all".

I wish I could explain better why it matters, why my T is so important to me, and why it matters if she cares about me or not. One way to look at it is that she is there for me, supporting me unconditionally. She's also become a real person to me. It's both. It happens in therapy, not to everyone, but to many. I care about her and she cares about me. It feels good for it to be a real relationship in the context of therapy. I know it's going to end, but that doesn't make it less real. It is certainly NOT fake.