Posted by Lieutenant Commander Viveca Arlander (Counselor) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

Posted by Cadet J. C. Swishman (Engineer) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Viveca Arlander (Counselor) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

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“Sometimes it takes convincing, as we gain more experience we sometimes forget what it was like to be the new kid around,” Viveca replied with a nod, “Well you seem to have the right mindset to challenges that get thrown into your life, which is good as you’ll soon learn that living in space comes with its own unique challenges, no matter how mainsteam it may seem. Do you have any questions or concerns for me right now?”

~Viveca Arlander~

He was about to say there wasn’t anything else, but he hesitated. J.C. flashed back to what the Doc had told him down in Sickbay.

‘Be honest.’ He took a soft breath.

“Actually… Yeah, there’s one thing I suppose I should note.” He glanced at the counselor. “So, I’ve had a few counselor visits in the past to deal with… Well… To deal with my sister’s death. They… Weren’t the most effective things in my eyes. But, I suppose it may come up at some point, so I figured I’d just… Y’know… Let you know about that.”

Cadet J.C. Swishman, Engineer

“What about them made you judge them to be ineffective?” Viveca asked, leaning forward slightly, “The main reason I’m asking is there are multiple approaches to helping someone through a mental crisis and knowing where you’re coming from in light of those past sessions can help me better help you if down the road you need it during your time on the Challenger.”

~Viveca Arlander~

“That’s… A really good question.” J.C. paused a moment. “The biggest thing is that despite everything absolutely 100% without a shadow of a doubt saying I wasn’t to blame, despite everyone… My folks, the investigators, the counselors… Saying that it wasn’t my fault… No one was able to convince me of that, so I’d stop blaming myself.” He scoffed, a slight smirk on his lips.

“Maybe the only thing the counselors were ‘bad’ at was not getting through this thick skull of mine.”

Cadet J.C. Swishman, Engineer