Hi Krazibean:
I think you're confusing love with a less affectionate term here. I once told my T in the hospital where I was locked up for several weeks, that I loved her. She looked at me and said " oh, that's nice to hear" !!! My jaw dropped to the floor. I had spent all that time in her care closely dialoguing
with her to only have her retort.........." gee, that's nice.....".
That's what I mean by Dustin getting his hopes so high with his T. She ISN'T going to tell him she loves him. He is again setting himself up to be disappointed.
By the way, my heart was crushed when that was said to me, and I felt like a fool. After I got out and went home I was miserable without her. I thought we had grown so close by then, only to have it pushed back in my face. I learned the hard way that " I love you" doesn't mean a diddly
doo with T's. You are better off using your love for more precious things in your life. To me it seems like it's a game to them and they draw you in to be close to them so they can have the overall advantage. You need me. You need to confide in me. You need to trust me!!!! Get what I mean?................can you top this????....................It's pretty sad when it happens as you are already vunerable at the time of admittance. So don't try to tell me that love from a T is anything less than what it is............it's not a G.D. thing!!!
He's too young to understand right now. But I am trying to protect him from himself by showing him the REAL world, not the one he THINKS he wants!!!
By the by, after a few weeks at home I didn't call my hospital
therapist anymore, and you know what............I don't miss her after all. But I learned from that and the next one who tried to reel me in got a big surprise!
In the early 80's I met my REAL therapist at a chapter of Parents Anonymous and we spent 17 years intermittingly
with each other in private therapy. Meaning on and off. She
basically " reparented" me and stayed with me through all
those horrible first years!!! Now, we are cordial, but we can't
be friends. That's the fine line I talk about. It has to remain
on those terms. They have to be able to help you w/o being
involved. The same as DOCTORS. Think about it!
To answer your question about love and caring being of the same quality................NO! not in the eyes of a professional.
Caring and loving are two different things.