Yes, I agree Cecilia! I throw in a joke, and if the therapist or doctor ignores me, he loses points. I prefer a flowing conversation too. I know that it's not universally approved for doctor and therapists to reveal personal facts to patients, but I do ask anyway if my therapist has ever had depression. I like to know if he can understand my feelings because he has felt them also.

It's like a phrase I heard once: why would you go to a male gynocologist? That's like taking your car to a mechanic who has never owned a car.

Although the parallels are not truely the same; I have met male gyn doctor who are very knowledgeable, but I prefer to go to a mental health provider who has some personal knowledge of what my life is like. I don't ask for details, and we don't discuss my therapist's trauma if he has PTSD, but I would like to know what my therapist did to heal that worked or did not work. I feel more bonded to him that way. I mean, we are all human.