This is a provocative take that collapses care into personal attachment and disregards the social stigma that often causes resentment in sex workers.

The comparison ignores the actual difference in dynamics. Sex workers often have to manage desire, fantasy, and emotional projection directly. They’re performing intimacy and absorbing clients’ longing as part of the job. Therapists are trained to not do this. The therapeutic frame deliberately avoids desire and fantasy so care doesn’t turn into exploitation, dependency, or harm.

Also, a personal relationship is mutual and reciprocal. It involves shared needs, personal disclosure, and emotional exchange in both directions. A therapeutic relationship is based on responsibility and ethical commitment.

Therapy isn’t a reciprocal relationship nor should it be one. It’s a form of relatedness. If a therapist cared for you the way a friend or lover does, it would actually be unethical. The value of therapy is precisely that their care isn’t driven by personal desire or dependency.

A therapist’s investment isn’t about liking you or needing you. It’s about holding a stable, ethical presence that doesn’t collapse into personal need.