I can understand you don't want to feel rejected, it's not a nice feeling. Maybe you could say something along the lines of "how would you respond if a client asked for a hug" that way you're not directly asking.
I wrote a letter to my T about something I was having a hard time talking about and gave it to her this week...now she can take the reins and help me verbalise it.
When I'm in emotional turmoil I ask myself "how would I feel if I did tell her and how would I feel if I didn't." I internalise an awful lot and I feel so much better after talking about my feelings, whether they're for her or something I'm going through. It's definitely not easy, the first time I was terrified. But that's just me...
I hope you're able to get through this.

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