The Counselor is in [1/17]

[susanofnarnia]

Susan is going over Jonathan's files. She is not particularly happy about them. The handwriting is atrocious, just for starters.

Feel free to stop by and make an appointment, or just chat.

[afk for another couple hours, but okay to start slowplay]

Comments

[oatmanspatient]

Marty drops by the office and knocks on the door.

"Dr. Pevensie? My name is Marty Blank. I'd like to make an appointment."

[susanofnarnia]

"Certainly, Marty. Come in, I have just a couple questions, and then we'll arrange an appointment for later this week." She smiled, and took out her daytimer. "May I ask what prompted you to come in?"

[oatmanspatient]

Marty flinches a bit. "Well... before I came here I saw a regular therapist. Before it was due to my issues with my... er... career. My last therapist town told me I should seek regular counseling sessons before she left town."

Marty then realizes how that sounds.

"Not that I'm the one who made her leave."

[susanofnarnia]

"I've already been informed that Dr. Chenowith was seeing some of the students," Susan reassured him. "And if you don't mind, I'd really like to contact her in California, if we do begin regular therapy. Just to get her insights. And that answers my second question, which was 'have you been in therapy before?' So we're ahead of the game."

She smiled, hoping to set him at ease. "If you don't feel comfortable giving me details today, Marty, you certainly don't have to. I would just like to know the general area we'd be focusing on. How often were you seeing Dr. Chenowith, and what day is best for you?"

[oatmanspatient]

"I was seeing her once a week. I guess Tuesdays in the middle of the day would be good for me. I have a class first period and eighth period."

[susanofnarnia]

"Let's stick with once a week, then. Why don't we say, fifth period?" Susan pencilled him into her daytimer, then studied him. "Do you have any questions for me? Any concerns, worries, information you'd like to have before we start sessions?"

[oatmanspatient]

"Ah... well... there's some stuff in my background that my previous therapists had some issues with. I'm not sure how much of an issue this might cause for you."

[susanofnarnia]

Susan narrowed her eyes in thought, then asked, "What kinds of issues? Therapeutic, or legal?"

[oatmanspatient]

"Little of column A and a little of column B," Marty said with a bit of hesitation. "My therapists had some issue with my former job."

[susanofnarnia]

She watched him for another moment, then said, "If it's your former job, and if you're not planning on doing something illegal in the future, then I have no problem with accepting you as a patient. The things I have to report, by law and the policies of this school, include child abuse, violent actions, suicidal tendencies, and imminent danger of same. I am not your confessor, Marty. If presented with hard, concrete evidence of a past crime, I have an obligation to give this evidence to the authorities. Your testimony alone does not count as such. Anything else, I will be willing to keep within the doctor-patient confidentiality. Is that fairly clear?"

[oatmanspatient]

"Ah... well then that shouldn't be an issue because I don't do that anymore. Because, y'know new respect for life and I fell in lo- *coughs* uh... I mean unless someone tries to hurt me first and that's a different story right? Because if someone tries to hurt me then it is just self-defense and-"

Marty is flailing mentally, verbally and physically and just decides to end that train of thought.

"You did say concrete, right?"

[susanofnarnia]

Susan had expected that Marty was referring to drugs, or a street gang, or possibly an assault. She was beginnng to get an inkling that it was much more complicated than that.

"Concrete, specific, and provable details of a crime," she said slowly. "Take a breath, Marty. Then another. I am not about to turn down a prospective patient when they want to change their past habits or life. Saying that you hurt someone is very different from telling me where you were on the night of July 2, 1999, and the exact identity of anyone else involved in a crime. Do you understand?"

[oatmanspatient]

Marty takes a breath and then another one.

"Right... Okay. So Tuesday then?"

[susanofnarnia]

"Tuesday, fifth period." Susan smiled. "I'll see you then."