I have the sense that had our paths crossed in some other way we could be good friends. My T is smart and a bit of an academic. Our political and social beliefs align well, despite being unusual for this area. From how she briefly talks about her kids I get the sense that she allows her training to inform her parenting style. She has a good sense of humor when she lets it out.

My T has also disclosed that she and I can have similar thought patterns - she is inclined to anxiously obsess about (perceived or actual) criticism. She says she can be pretty self-critical too.

I very very rarely swear (but don’t care if others do and am in fact surrounded by it at work all the time). When T is pushing something, usually validating a feeling and trying to get me to feel it more, she sometimes swears seemingly without thinking about it (and apologizes when she realizes what she said, even though it’s never something extreme or crude).

We spend a lot of time with her telling me I’m not unique, even as she acknowledges my approach to life/people is unusual. From this I’ve learned that she is thoughtful and attentive to people all the time (though perhaps less than and/or differently from in session).