I just saw my therapist in a bar…

Early in my career, I attended a friend’s birthday party at a bar, where I happened to run into a client. It posed an interesting ethical question - do I ignore my client? Or do I greet them?

Whether or not it’s a bar, park, concert, etc., the conclusion most therapists would reach is that it’s best to skip the greeting. I know it might seem rude, but the reason for this is because of confidentiality, which is your therapist’s responsibility to protect!

In my circumstance, I had no idea who my client was with, if their friends knew that they were in therapy, or if they would even feel comfortable saying hello to me in a public setting. Therapy works well because distance and privacy allows vulnerability to be more accessible and trust to develop, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that! So long as a the environment is large enough to give clients their personal space, I usually will offer a smile to acknowledge a client’s presence, without breaking confidentiality or admitting that I know them.

With that being said, if clients are interested in breaking their own confidentiality, you are welcome to approach me! The difference in you potentially breaking that confidentiality is that you have the ability to assess what risks are present (i.e. who you are with, how much time you have, etc) better than I can.