I deal with people who are sometimes dealing with the most gut wrenching situation they’ve ever been in. A lot of of them feel lost, abandoned, scared and hopeless. They know nothing about a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. The terminology and words like Lis Pendens are Greek to them. They’ve paid their bills their entire life, they’ve written the checks and now they find themselves in a foreign land, unable to do what they’ve always done. I always ask a client first before offering an extended hand of support or hug. My feeling is when appropriate hugs can be validating and often just what the doctor ordered!