Not so much by saying "i care about you", but i'm thinking in terms of feelings and behaviors or actions.

Is it important to know your T cares? My parents demonstrated over and over and over that they didn't care about me. They obviously cared about me enough that i survived, though barely, but that didn't equate to having 'good enough' parents. I was an orphan who lived with 2 parents. They always felt like strangers to me. My father is gone, but my mother still feels like a total stranger.

I was thinking about my insecurity possibly pushing my therapist away. I know there are transference issues here- i have thought many times that my T is doing the 'minimum' to do his job. If he is, maybe that is all i should expect?

I think he cares about me somewhat. But i have clients at work who i care about somewhat. There really are no emotional issues that go with the type of work i do, but i care about doing a good job for them. But is that enough for someone with my background in psychodynamic therapy?

I also realize i am hypervigilant, looking for signs that he doesn't care about me. This is so hard because i am seeing them regularly. Maybe i can identify examples (in my mind-'proof') that he does care if others are willing to share how your therapists show they care.