My therapist has never touched me or hugged me. I'm glad as I would feel very uncomfortable with it. She doesn't self-disclose very much. She has mentioned her daughter has a mental illness & that sometimes she'll need to answer a page if it is her daughter. She has recommended an out-patient program for me, which was very helpful. I have bipolar. She has many patients with bp & is very familiar with the symptoms & has called my pdoc (with my permission) when she recognized that I was suicidal.

My pdoc (also female) started giving me a hug when I left her office after about two years of treating me. She seems to really care about me & gives me accolades on how much I'm taking more responsibility for my mental illness & not just popping my pills. I am attempting to manage my environment better & doing some self-care things. Now when I leave her office I automatically reach out for a hug.--Suzy