The role of a dominatrix, or even as a dominant in general is one of figuring out who this person they are playing with is. Their likes/dislikes/limits as well as their abilities and having to work within that spectrum. You do want them to come back because it was an enjoyable experience even if it was something they don’t really enjoy.

So feeling like a therapist is always a risk when helping people get through some of the stigma behind their fetishes and begin to accept themselves. I help them realize that their fetishes and fantasies don’t define them as people, that it’s just another aspect in a wide range of who they are. – Mistress Talon

Sean Jameson – Eight Real-Life Dominatrices Confess All (The Bad Girl’s bible)

Then I have a client – well, a lot of clients like this — who likes to wear women’s underwear and garters, thigh-highs and heels. They don’t go full cross-dresser. They just want to be the naughty boy who got caught wearing the panties. So we’ll do scenarios where we’re in the classroom and I’ll be Principal Hawn, and I’ll say, “Pull your pants down. I know you’ve been stealing panties out of the locker room,” and then I’ll spank the guy in the classroom. It’s like going back to a teacher maybe he fantasized about.

Hudsy Hawn
What It’s Really Like to Be a Professional Dominatrix