[ColourBars]

Have you ever ran into your T or seen them while walking down the street? Did they notice you? Did you walk the other way or ignore them? Did they talk to you? Did you run up and talk to them? Was it awkward?

[stopdog]

I have not. I seriously cannot recall what she looks like from week to week so I doubt I would recognize her. If I did, i would ignore her.

[growlycat]

Yes! Usually before or after a session, while getting coffee. He says hi or smiles and waves.

More strange though---- if I am seeing him in person and we go for a walk AND run into someone he knows. One lady tried to have this long conversation with him and he deftly cut it off quickly. We walked onward and he said "ugh, that's my neighbor...."

[ColourBars]

Originally Posted by growlycat

More strange though---- if I am seeing him in person and we go for a walk AND run into someone he knows. One lady tried to have this long conversation with him and he deftly cut it off quickly. We walked onward and he said "ugh, that's my neighbor...."

LOL...... I love his "ugh" response.

I remember I was walking down the street and I saw him walking, quite quickly though. I'm not sure if he saw me or not. Then he suddenly turned into this kinda shady corner where this girl was standing and started talking to her and she seemed really stressed. I think it's one of his other clients. I was like O_O.... and kept on walking.

[growlycat]

have run into other clients coming in or out of a session. Awkward!!!!

[critterlady]

I saw mine at a gas station when we're both filling our tanks. It was very soon after I met him and I pretended not to see him. I'd say hi if it happened today.

There's another of his clients that I often see on my way out of the office. He brings his dog with him and I can't resist petting her. The guy is very friendly.

[retro_chic]

Originally Posted by critterlady

There's another of his clients that I often see on my way out of the office. He brings his dog with him and I can't resist petting her. The guy is very friendly.

I wish I could bring my cat to therapy! My T loves cats (she has two).

[Dreamy01]

I've never seen my current t outside of sessions. I used to bump into my first t a lot and it always felt awkward and embarrassing. I think I would deal with it a lot better now that I'm older and a bit more confident. I always felt ashamed of my presence in the past but that feeling has eased a little now.

[sconnie892]

I work in a small city and live in a small town about 15 minutes away. There's some cross-over in terms of common acquaintances. Eventually I will run into t at some event or another. (I already attended a friend's band concert and t was in the choir that sang at intermission.) I've accepted that it's going to happen but that I don't need to let anyone around me know she's my T if I don't want to. I won't ignore her, but I can just say hi and move along.

[shoez]

ugh yes....
Me: quietly walking down the street minding my own business...then I look up and squint
T: not noticing that shoez has seen her, naturally walking down the stairs with sunglasses on and a vomit green jacket. *tralalala going down the stairs tralala*
Me: Oh no! AH! theres no where to escape, *tries to walk slower* *dont hyperventilate! dont look up, uuuh ok, uh blackberry aps, hmm hmm OMGAH Ts getting closer!*
T: getting closer and closer
Me: *eyes totally unnaturally wide, pretending to look at phone and through corner of eye watches T pass by*
T: never noticed the trembling shoez on the side of the staircase having a mini panic attack
Me: AAH! RUN FOR THE HILLS! T outside of office THIS IS NOT POSSYBOLE!

*few hours later*

Me: *browses PC ..click....click* hmm...*remembers earlier events from the day* T wears sunglasses?, T goes outside?, T is human? , Why was T going to the campus gym? , wonder if T goes there everyday? , maybe she swims? can T's swim? maybe she works out....
thats why shes not chunky even at her age..
OH MY GOSH thats so mean...
im so mean to T
what if she saw me?
oh my gosh
ahhhhhhh


LOL...

xD

[bluemountains]

My son's t (same practice as my t) lives pretty close by, and I have run into her at the gym. I feel awkward even though she works with my son, not me. I guess the idea that she knows so much about our family makes me uncomfortable.
Bluemountains

[BonnieJean]

The first time I saw t outside therapy was in the line at the deli a year ago. It was weird for me and I was taken off guard to see her out of 'context' and wearing sneakers. We said 'hi' and she left.

The second time I saw her a couple of weeks ago at the grocery store and she didn't see me. She was with her H and she was bouncing happy holding his arm. They were in the junk food isle-I think it was superbowl sunday. That was just too much for me. I left the store in tears, was upset all night and emailed her. I didn't want to go back to therapy. It seems like an over reaction as I write about it now but the feelings were so intense and upsetting to me. It took us the next to sessions to work on it.

I used to run into my first two T's all the time because one was at a relatively small university campus and the other was actually one of the pastors at our relatively large church. It was just a normal occurrence and I really never gave it much thought. My current T and I have run into each other a few times, but we're in a pretty large populated area so it's a pretty rare occurrence. I still don't give it much thought.

[elliemay]

I absolutely hate running into my therapist when he is free range. We bumped into each other at a restaurant once. Uncomfortable.

He will not acknowledge me as a method of maintaining my privacy. It's a small town, he's well known as a therapist.

I appreciate that a lot.

I still wish he just lived in office. It's hard to picture him shopping for groceries.

Although it is getting easier.

[critterlady]

I just remembered that I almost ran over my previous therapist with my car in a parking lot on campus. I was turning to go into the next lot and he was walking across the entrance to that lot. I shot right behind him and he looked startled. It didn't even register it was him until I was way past him.

He never mentioned it, nor did I.

[shoez]

Originally Posted by elliemay

I absolutely hate running into my therapist when he is free range. We bumped into each other at a restaurant once. Uncomfortable.

He will not acknowledge me as a method of maintaining my privacy. It's a small town, he's well known as a therapist.

I appreciate that a lot.

I still wish he just lived in office. It's hard to picture him shopping for groceries.

Although it is getting easier.

T's dont live in their offices? T's eat? lol! Thats how I feel.

I just remembered that I almost ran over my previous therapist with my car in a parking lot on campus. I was turning to go into the next lot and he was walking across the entrance to that lot. I shot right behind him and he looked startled. It didn't even register it was him until I was way past him.

He never mentioned it, nor did I.

Wow thats scary! sorry that happened!

[Elli-Beth]

We live on different cities, so no. I think if we did, it would just be a casual "Hi", without much worry.

I ran into my x therapist once shortly after I started working with him. I turned down the grocery aisle and there he was with his wife. As I muttered, "S*#*!" and started turning my cart to get back out of the aisle, he looked up. I think he immediately sensed my discomfort (probably guessed what I was muttering under my breath and picked up on my panicked expression) so he just glanced down again. I wheeled that cart through the other shoppers, probably taking out a few and dumped the it near the door and headed back to my car. I have to laugh now that I acted that way, but like a lot of people, seeing the person you tell all your secrets to calmly shopping for cereal with his wife is just too uncomfortable to bear with any degree of dignity.

[critterlady]

I totally get that, Jaybird. For me, it would probably be the one time I wasn't filling my cart with fruits and vegetables and instead was getting chips and ice cream. I wouldn't mind talking to my therapist if I ran into him somewhere, but him seeing the contents of my grocery cart would feel weird.

[Nelliecat]

This is weird, I have part of me that wants to see her out and about and for her to see me in my 'normal' life with the kids, being capable and in control. She only ever sees the incapable, snivelling mess.

However, the one time I did see her in the centre of Bath on a Saturday my heart nearly jumped out of my chest! It was the oddest thing to see her outside of her room. She was on a mission, walking at speed with her head down so she didn't see me. She's always said that she'd never ignore me but that she'd wait for me to acknowledge her first.

[granite1]

my T doesn't live outside her office she stasys there always and that is the end of the conversation

I ran into mine at a basketball game shortly after I started seeing him. It was long enough after I started that I was comfortable with him, but not so long after I started that I was in love with him yet. So, it was fine. I saw him at my father in law's funeral and we hugged and I introduced him to my daughter. It was really nice, but then awkward because my daughter said, "I've heard a lot about you."

[Dreamy01]

Reading these responses I now realise I would find it incredibly difficult if I bumped into t while she was with her family. It's one thing seeing t out there alone, but quite another if she is chatting to her hubby or kid. I wouldn't deal with that well.

[stopdog]

My ignoring the therapist should I ever manage to recognize her is not because I am worried about her real life. I assume she is crazy as a bedbug there, but rather because I am so ambivalent about seeing one in the first place and rejoice so when I survive the appointment itself, that I have no desire to acknowledge this outside of the appointment. Happily I do not think she would recognize me either.

[northgirl]

I've seen my T outside of the office plenty of times. It's not a problem for me if I see him, but if he sees me I feel really uncomfortable. Once he was walking behind me about 10 feet, I only realized that after I felt like someone was following me, and when I looked back he tried to be looking through some papers he was carrying. Other time I was walking toward him, so I took out my phone and pretended to be texting or something and walked a different way. I still have a fear of running into him somewhere in town especially if I'm with my family. Don't know how I would react.