If you do say something, you're better off saying something that's appropriate to the situation, rather than anything about what you really think, feel, or believe. Do whatever's appropriate. Then, for the most part, when you are around friends, just be yourself. A Stooge . By temporarily treating an attacker as if they're a patient, you diminish their importance.
Preparation is everything.
And there's an added advantage. They're attacking the therapy. It's like attacking two friends sitting on the moon. Well, maybe that's not so surprising considering that street smarts are about the opposite of phoniness. All we're doing here is dividing street smarts into eighty-eight pieces so we can examine each piece in detail.