I don’t think Blondie and I would ever be friends — even leaving aside the issue of therapist ethics and whatnot.

I feel like I just don’t fit in her world in any way — if I wasn’t her client, I doubt she’d have any interest / inclination in noticing me even, let alone becoming friends with me. As it is, even as a therapist, I can sometimes really feel her stretching herself to try to understand me — it would be impossible and take up way too much energy with little reward for her (since I’m pretty sure whatever I could offer her in return isn’t necessarily something she feels is lacking in other relationships in her life).

I think a friendship between any two people — client and therapist included — would make sense if it felt like something that would’ve naturally happened / made sense even if they’d met outside of therapy.

Else, as in my case, it’s so obviously clear that that sort of natural fit just isn’t there and it’s only a therapy context that makes any interaction possible, that trying to force fit a friendship later just wouldn’t work.