Which option applies to you?

[stopdog]

I doubt they cared that much one way or the other about me although they have said they did. I didn't care much about them either way and told them I did not wish them ill, but they were not real people in my life.

I think we do care about each other equally. I feel much more intensely about him day to day and that is mostly related to the work we are doing and the process of healing the wounds of childhood attachments I think.
But I think in terms of how we generally feel about each other, I think we both care about each other and respect each other very much.

[DP_2017]

Yes. However every person in my life fits this. Other than my dog I'm not anyone's priority

[LonesomeTonight]

It doesn't so much piss me off as make me sad...It's not even level of care about me. Because I know he does care (he actually stated that recently--surprised me he was willing to be that open about it.) It's more that...I'm sure he crosses my mind much more often than I cross his. I'm his job,while to me, he's much more. Like I'll think at times, "OK, I just need to make it to my appointment on Tuesday..." while he's probably more like, "Hm, what clients am I seeing on Tuesday? Ah, LT, OK."

[zoiecat]

Honestly I think he probably cares more for me than I do for him. Although his caring is purely on a professional level.

Yes, LT makes a good point. Even for those of us who it makes us feel pissed off, really its just a front for hurt feelings and sadness

When we attach to a therapist that cares less than we do, it can feel like we are re-traumatized if we feel our parent(s) didnt care much about us either

[growlycat]

He cares very much for me but I always want more.

[healinginprogress]

This is an interesting question.

I believe that my T cares very deeply for me. I believe that she is invested in my healing and that she cares about my struggles and triumphs.

I don't have the same access her to her life so I can't be invested in the same way. I care about her a lot though. She has chosen to share certain things with me that help create a bond that I'm very grateful for and help my "caring."

So, I don't know how to quantify the caring. But suffice to say we both care about each other a bunch.

[Thalassophile]

I believe my T cares for me within the boundaries of his job. Does he likely think of me outside therapy? Possibly from time to time. Do I think he likes me as a person? Yes, I think so. Do I mean as much to him as he does to me? Definitely not. Would I like him to care about me as much as I do for him? Yes without a doubt.

[MoxieDoxie]

Both my T's are pretty knew and young and just started their own practice so I think they care about me as in needing clients to earn a living.

[Anne2.0]

I think my current therapist cares about me as a client and I care about him as a professional who helps me. If I were to stop seeing him, I think he might miss me a smidge but he would be fine. If I had to leave him or chose to leave him, I would be fine. I don't know how to gauge levels of caring as that seems like quantifying something that isn't so, and I can't know what is in someone else's heart.

[AllHeart]

I went with the equal option. We both like each other. We both have some level of basic human care for each other. Like, she cares enough about me to not want anything “bad” to happen to me. I would care if something bad happened to her. Neither of us care about each other’s personal life beyond the confines of therapy. It’s all good.

[toomanycats]

I feel like care isn't something that comes in a quantity.
C cares about me differently than I care about him.
And, I'm glad of that.

[annielovesbacon]

It depends on my mood. I answered "I'm ok with how much my T cares for me," because I Completely understand that she has many, many clients, and to care deeply for each one would not be possible for her. She would burn out. But I also have a selfish desire for her to care for me as much as I care for her, for me to be some sort of "special" client who means a lot to her. But I try to stay realistic, for my own emotional sake, and recognize the limits a therapist has when it comes to caring for clients.

[Amyjay]

I don't "care" about my therapist. I care about her professional boundaries and her performing her professional role. But I don't really know her as a person and I don't "care" about her.
I suspect she cares about me in some capacity. I suspect she cares more about me than I do about her, but still only in a professional way.

[SalingerEsme]

I'm confused about how I feel. I went a solid year very engaged and focused on my T. He is very clever, and original, and really lavished attention on my case as he started up his practice here. Now, it is like that feeling before a break up happens in real life. The romance is gone, or the romanticizing. Partly that is bc he is way busier now, partly it is bc trauma work is a painful slog more than it is self discovery right now, and party I see a more realistic picture of a very well trained and insightful T who is also kind of dismissive if challenged. It is like StopDog's quotation that the customer is always wrong.

[1stepatatime]

Originally Posted by Thalassophile

I believe my T cares for me within the boundaries of his job. Does he likely think of me outside therapy? Possibly from time to time. Do I think he likes me as a person? Yes, I think so. Do I mean as much to him as he does to me? Definitely not. Would I like him to care about me as much as I do for him? Yes without a doubt.

That’s exactly my experience