I have never asked that question. I guess for me it has always been enough that they do care. I more or less assume they care because it is their nature to care.

Why do I care about my students or that member of my choir or my neighbor? Because that's just the way I am. When I know someone who is clearly going through something difficult, I feel badly for their circumstance because I can relate to the stress or the pain, etc. No one in this world is immune to having experienced difficulties, so it seems pretty natural that we, on some level, at least understand that whatever that other person is going through, it is a hard time for them. While we may not exactly know their experience, there is that broad human experience that we do know on some level.

I figure therapists, generally by nature of having chosen a helping profession, are sympathetic/empathetic individuals, so caring comes pretty naturally to them. I really don't need to know more than that I guess. It is enough to know that they do care and I have never been in a position of being with a therapist who I felt didn't care (that would be an awful situation and I wouldn't stay in that situation -- life's too short; I would find a better one).