But the therapist is not the client's friend. This is not a social occasion and the client should not be paying the T her hard-earned money so the T can be or become her friend. There are support groups for people who want a more open and reciprocal relationship. I personally find it disrespectful to patient when a therapist is wanting to share personal info or just discuss hobbies or other things during the session, as opposed to bringing the focus back on the client and on why he wants to know more about the therapist.

But a lot of this also depends on the kind of therapy you're having. Supportive type therapies allow for more social interactions. Classical psychoanalysis is almost at the opposite extreme with the therapist almost coming across as a cold closed-up unfeeling person. Nowadays many therapists do their own thing, taking bits and pieces from different approaches and incorporate them. And of course they will justify how their approach is the "right" way to do it, whether they share nothing or share much. After all, as long as they don't violate any clear rules and as long as the client is happy, who can complain about this?