Not to derail, but that's interesting that you say I love you is not for the recipient, but for you. Recently, my therapist said I care about you and I said thank you back to her. It just fit to honor that statement of hers. Maybe that's what your therapist is doing, especially considering the constraints of this very strange therapist/client relationship?

Or is the truer statement, I want you to love me? If so, then thank you as a reply would hurt.

I can be so concrete as to be obtuse, so now I am thinking the subtext of your statement is more of that last kind, in which case, can you tell him that instead of the other?

Sorry if I'm overstepping.

Guess I better say something to my therapist here:

Dear T,

I just want to whine and cry and cry and whine for days on end. Also, I would like a donut.