Telling T that you feel therapy is going well for you

Have you done this?

No. I continue to show up and hand her money so I would think it obvious I had managed to find a use of sorts for it. I tell her if she is off base or screwing up completely. I ask her questions about what the usual positioning of a client in therapy is - and she usually fails to respond in any useful manner.
I have told the woman the fact that she stays back is not completely useless. Also I cannot imagine why it would be any of the business of or matter to the therapist.

Absolutely yes. Our last session, in fact, was spent to a great degree discussing how far I have come and how much better I am managing life.

Yes. The fact that I was willing to admit this was progress in & of itself.

Yeah all the time when little good things happen, if you see what I mean. Overall I feel now like it's fairly grim stuff I'm dealing with, so whenever chinks of light break in that sort of illustrate the bigger picture, which reassure me that I'm doing the right thing by sticking with therapy, I tell her. Partly because for my therapy I seem to need to keep her up to speed with how I'm feeling bad or good, and then I think well she's only human, it's got to be nice when clients share their positive opinions on the work their therapist is doing with them.

Of course. They need to know what they are doing is working, or not, so they can modify the approach if necessary. And, on personal level, everyone likes to hear that they are good at their job and appreciated.

When I feel really stuck or like I'm not making progress, I try to remind myself how much progress I've made and he and I have discussed the ways in which I feel therapy has really helped me.

Yep, definitely. Often, if it's been a particularly good session and I've left feeling more positive or more focussed on changes in my life, I'll send a short email saying as much.

I think the best way of doing this is by using what s/he explores with you, in real life.
Sure, it must be nice for them to hear though.

This presumes we discuss our progress to pat the T on the back, at least that's how it reads to me. That's not what it is about at all. This is to pat ME on the back. I would assume that OUR progress is DEFINITELY the business of and matters to the therapist. If it doesn't matter to the therapist whether we are making progress or not, why the heck would we keep going to them?

Yes, of course.

Now the "weird" thing is that I don't think, or am reluctant to go to a session when I am feeling good and things are going well. Feel kinda like it would be a waste of time and money, but mainly: why see my T when I'm doing so well?

But I think it's important to go even at such times. (Kinda like not stopping one's meds when one feels better.)

It does not matter to me if it matters to the therapist or not, and I doubt it does. I have my reasons for going. I seriously doubt the therapist and I would even define progress the same way in general, let alone in regards to me. I also would not involve the therapist should I desire a pat or engage in patting myself on the back
I do not know to which "we" (all clients, you, some other group?) you are referring.

No. I have huge problems telling my T anything positive, that he is helping me, etc. We've discussed this. It's because I'm afraid he'll decide I'm fine and abandon me, because of stuff in my childhood.

Absolutely. It helps me to see my own progress if I say it out loud. Also, it helps T to know what works for me and what doesn't. If I just keep telling her what's not working, then she'll keep trying different things and miss the things that do work. If I can tell her what is working well for me, then we can stay with that.