I had a provider recently open up to me about her financial stress
Even though what she did happens sometimes (she is human, and felt perhaps really at ease with you), I always manage to keep the focus of my discussions with the SWs on the things that revolve around the reason I am paying to see them. In other words, I help the SW to keep the discussion "sexy" / on point with the purpose of my meeting with her. That said, it happens sometimes that SWs talk to me about their sorrows and my way of dealing with that is very simple: I politely listen to what she says and swiftly find a way to tactfully move the discussion to the happy/sexy/dating/teasing nature of why I am paying to hobby with her. But I never indulge in that kind of discussion, not even for 1 second (as an example, a SW I book regularly, therefore one I appreciate a lot, told me recently, while showing me a photo of her son on her cell phone ... "you see this cute little boy, that is my son..that is the reason I am doing this. To feed him and make him happy"...to which I simply replied "He is cute, indeed" and managed, as always, to move politely and with tact to the fun that I came for / am paying for ). Because, obviously, I am not paying for that. The same way, the SW will not pay for someone to discuss his sorrows if she had to pay to have sex with that person. The chances that she would find that (discussing sorrows in such context) to be un-sexy / a turn off ...are as high as the Mount Everest. There is a time to discuss our sorrows, and meeting a SW is not for that. If she is professional, a SW should be able to understand that. This is not about being cold / lacking sensitivity. This is about the right things in the right place (if she wants to see me, outside this hobbying activity, to discuss her sorrows and that I am interested to listen to that, then fine, I will be more than happy to oblige. But I will not allow her to do that on the time that I am paying for hobbying...not the time for that )
really made me re-evaluate my involvement in this hobby
For something as little as this? Then perhaps this hobby was not for you.