I expect my t to be emotionally strong while having an appropriate, balanced level of compassion for me, as needed. Meaning, I don't ever want her to cry with or for me, get all "ooh, you poor thing" kind of sappy, or to be void of any emotion at all.

I expect my t to keep her personal feelings and triggers out of my therapy so she can be there to emotionally support me and help make me more solid. It's my therapy - not hers.

I expect my t to put my emotional well-being first, not her own. By that I mean not using me to fill her own personal needs, not telling me so much of her personal business during session that it takes up more time than my own, not bringing about an outside friendship that effed with my head like no other just for her own personal gain, not be emotionally abusive, etc., like my ex-t. [sorry for the rant!]

As for how much contact I feel I should get, I do not expect any outside contact with my t except for in case of an emergency, scheduling issues, and if I might need quick clarification on something that was brought up during therapy. Anything beyond that is a bonus, not an expectation.

Thankfully, so far current t meets my expectations.