I was allowed to cry with my client

If you are a Christian you would say "God work in a miraculous way". But as a non Christian I just got the feeling that somehow in life we are meant for each other in some small ways and in a strange connectedness.
Last weekend my lecturer discussed grief and loss, which can be any "ruptured attachment". We broke into small groups to discuss a loss which we have encountered and to think of the resultant losses that accompany it eg. loss of hope, loss of control etc. In my small group, a participant described the loss of a family member and my lecturer happened to be with us when going round to observe. As it was quite an emotional session we actually got to witness how the lecturer handled the situation and helped my class mate processed her grief.
This week back at the school where I volunteer, the school counsellor handed me a case about a teenage girl who has some relationship problem with her mother, a widow. I thought to myself casually there may be some unresolved issue about the loss of her father, which I could then apply what I have learnt. Usually for the first session I am quite relaxed because it is more like building rapport to win the client's trust before they will open up and pour their heart.
I was quite taken aback when it took less than 10 minutes for the girl to pour out her grief over the loss of her father who passed away quite suddenly 5 years ago. I would not have known how to react if not for the example shown by my lecturer. In fact when one of my classmates asked whether it was ok if the counsellor shed tears, my lecturer commented that it shows that the counsellor cares and we are human aren't we. Thank goodness for that answer because I actually pulled a tissue and dried my eyes and said softly to my client " You really touched me". See, the girl feels so insecure because in addition to the loss, her mother also had breast cancer though now in remission.
So I used exactly the same method, said almost the same things that my lecturer did. The session lasted almost 2 hours, after which she said she had not shared so much about her sadness before. Walking home I began to feel the little things we do really affect each other; my classmate who was so brave in sharing a loss which still hurts, the lecturer in being with our group at the right moment resulting in me being taught what to say and how to help, and the girl presenting herself this week (she had turned down an earlier appointment a few months ago). I think of it as we being tiny threads in a piece of fabric.