I'm glad your T was able to talk with you about what he said that did not sound supportive to you. In my experience, therapists can be very defensive. They're human. Sometimes they are off the mark. It's good that you raised your issue with him, and it sounds like the two of you were able to clear the air.

The best therapist in the world won't fully meet our emotional need to feel understood and regarded with warmth and respect. We need that from family and friends. Unfortunately, those who love us and have good intentions can often be a little clueless about how to be helpful. At least, that's been my experience. It just makes us feel worse when someone close seems to just "not get it." I don't know if that's a factor in your life. You mentioned isolating. It makes me think of how a sick dog will go off in a corner, rather than looking to get petted. I think it's a primitive instinct we share with other species. We remove ourselves to feel more safe.

Feeling less hopeless is a sign that you're working your way out of the darkness. I hope that continues. Depression is just awful, and there's no explaining it to others. I'm going through it myself. I take a few steps forward, but keep slipping back. No steady progress toward the light. It can get very hard to hang on to hope. If you've had bad depressive episodes in the past that you recovered from, let that remind you of what is possible.