I'm in complete agreement with you and Ms. Riseman, Ogie. I'm just not sure that your therapist has shamed you, humiliated you, called you names, or put you down. All I know is that she asked you a question you didn't like and smirked. Maybe the smirk was ill-intentioned, but maybe not. I can tell you're hurt by what your therapist said and did, but doesn't your therapist's intention matter at all? Isn't it worth checking out?

To use another example, what if I felt really attacked and shamed by your response in this thread because I thought you were implying that I support shaming people? Would it be okay for me to just assume the worst about you without checking it out first? Should I just quit talking to you and not give you a chance to explain what you meant?