I was wondering if anyone thinks that it's a good idea (or has done it before) to not only know some personal information about your Therapist but to actually discuss some of it with him/her (without mentioning exactly how you found it) often using something to transition into it. I personally think that it is (and have done it before) because it not only shows a sense of realism towards you and your client but also shows that they are like you in some ways and have some of the same interests as you for instance with my Therapist that I saw for 4 years:

I knew the city that she grew up in and it was actually a city that I visited at least once (sometimes twice) a year for many years when I was younger since my dad used to have conferences that he went to there and I used to accompany him to them so I knew the area fairly well so we sometimes discussed our favorite things about it. I also returned there once while I was doing Therapy with her to visit a Steakhouse chain that I like a lot (since there are none of them anywhere in my area) and she told me that she liked the place a lot and the food was excellent (and after going there I couldn't help but agree).

I also knew that my Therapist was an avid snowboarding fan (taking a snowboarding trip at least once a year) as am I, so we talked a lot about that and she even told me where some of the best places to go snowboarding are.

We also talked some about certain bands, movies, and TV shows that we both like (most of that I did not know beforehand).

I think that these things can help enhance a Therapy relationship since it tells you that your Therapist is a regular person often with many common interests as you.