Yes, none of them were blank slate (I wouldn't personally use a blank slate therapist.) We very normally chatted on our way in or out of session for a few minutes. There were also times I knew of because they filled me in on the death of a parent or illness of a child or spouse, or they had been out ill themselves, etc. We didn't spend a great deal of time discussing these things either, but I knew enough to recognize when their own lives were at particularly stressful points.