I found this a while back and was very gratified to read it. Since I'm increasingly of the opinion that psychotherapy does more harm than good by training therapists to be emotionally unresponsive brick walls to vulnerable clients who need basic, REAL human empathy more than anyone, it's nice to see one who actually cares.

Boundaries do not need to be sacrificed for this. But if it's "unprofessional" for a T to get emotionally involved in what by nature are emotional conversations, then maybe the profession itself is due for some examination. I for one instinctively put up my own defenses when I see my T putting up hers, or responding with studied expressions of sympathy that I can tell are not natural. And I can always tell.