I personally don't see a problem with getting a T a gift, all things considered. I think it heavily depends on you, your T, the relationship you have, their "rules" about this sort of thing, your comfort level, and your reason/s for giving a gift in the first place.
My T has been amazing, and I feel very fortunate for having selected him and for being able to work with him all this time (it's been about 2 years straight). He's been tremendously helpful! He, too, has gone "above and beyond" in his work with me. He's always called me back if I called him between sessions. I can email him whenever I want, and we'll always discuss the contents during the next session (if I want to). He's just a really sweet person who genuinely cares about my wellbeing and works hard at making sure I'm healthy, happy, and meeting my goals in life. There's a real connection there, and I'm grateful for it :)
I made my T a birthday card once. I like to draw "graffiti style" art, and I drew his name in space or somethin on the cover, with his new age and random bday decorations surrounding it. I went online and printed off the Psychology field symbol, a picture of Lucy in her "psychiatrist booth," lol, and a comic I found featuring a stick-figure client talking with his T about trust issues. I taped all that on one half of the inside of the card, and on the other, I wrote out a poem I made about how happy I was to have met him, basically. It was pretty good. He teared up after he read it, so, yeah, mission accomplished :tup:
Reds, do what you feel comfortable with. Understand your T's boundaries when it comes to gift-giving (it's cool to just ask if you're not sure). My T makes me feel special all the time. I wanted to make him feel the same way, and, for us, that little homemade card only served to strengthen our professional therapeutic relationship that much more.
