Sometimes I feel that more experienced professionals (in any field) lose the human touch over the course of their careers and doctors, psychiatrists and counsellors are no exception. At some stage, we become a subject or a client to them, rather than being a human being. May be they require this trait to be able to help us objectively. But at the same time, sometimes we just need the interaction on a human level to solve our problems and professional advice is somewhat secondary. In other cases, the professional has to be more stern and firm in his/her approach. Imo, a balanced mix of both would be more helpful to both.