Well said, PreacherHeckler. If I saw someone walking down the street, turning their head and body away from another person, making awkward movements to avoid eye contact, and verring to a different path at all costs, my first thought be "Geez, I wonder what their relationship is? They obviously know each other! Strangers don't act like that! Are they ex-lovers? Ex-friends? I wonder what horrible thing Person 2 did to make Person 1 so blatantly rude? Ooh maybe Person 2 slept with Person 1's spouse!" It would probably make me avoid both people, lest I end up in a similar situation with one of them!

Thankfully, my T wouldn't behave that way if she saw me in public. If she did, it would probably hurt my feelings. It would make me feel like running into me was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her-- why else would she turn her head and body away from me like a crazy person and change her path just to avoid me?

With my T, also in the US, the rule is that it's up to me whether or not I choose to acknowledge her- otherwise, she'll simply go on her merry way. I've told her though that if she sees me in public, she's always welcome to say hi first. The people in my life know I'm in therapy, so there's no confidentiality to protect. If we saw each other in public, I presume we would smile, say hello, and then continue on our separate ways. One thing I always appreciate about my T is that while she is very professional, she is also sensible- she uses her best judgment when it comes to things like hugs in therapy, phone calls/texts, or acknowledging a client at Starbucks.