Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (CNS) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 1, Part 2

Posted by Ensign Viyara Nazeen (Scientist) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 1, Part 2

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (CNS) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 1, Part 2
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“I have to drop by my office. This”-she gestured around them-“wasn’t exactly my plan today and while the rest of the team will handle my cases ore they’ll be rescheduled, I have to grab a couple things from my office and Sickbay,” she said honestly. “Bu I also had a idea I wanted to run by you. Tomorrow, if you’re feeling up for it and I feel it’ll be okay for you, what would you say to Daggum dropping by and having coffee or something with us? You two can have some time to chat, if you like as well. But if you agree, I do need your permission to talk about our work together with him.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“I’m sorry,” Viyara replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink as guilt washed over her. “I … I didn’t mean this to happen and to make things complicated for you.” She bowed her head and slightly chewed on her lower lip. And while she really liked the idea of Daggum dropping by, her mind was to focused on feeling guilty about this situation to articulate that.

~Viyara Nazeen

Janna turned slightly to the french press and gave the contents a swirl, let it settle a moment and then slowly pressed the plunger. “S!$t happens, Viyara,” Janna said with a shrug. “Save apologies for when they actually matter. My doing my job doesn’t require one,” she said giving Nazeen a wink. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t think that this took priority and we both know that this is exactly where we both need to be,” she said as she slid the carafe over to Viyara.

Peering at Janna, Viyara nodded and even smiled ever so slightly. For even though she didn’t like feeling like she was incarcerated in a gold cage, she was very grateful for Janna and what she was trying to do for her. “Thank you-,” she whispered, hesitating slightly at the end. She had been about to add ‘Counsellor’, but then wondered if using her first name would be okay or too personal. So she left it at just ‘thank you’.

As she had before, Janna just smiled and gave a reassuring nod.

“You don’t have to decide just this second, but how do you feel about the idea of a friend coming for a visit. I mentioned Daggum since he was the one who knows at least some of your story and got you to talk to me, but any friend you feel comfortable with is okay.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Smiling softly as she looked back up, Viyara replied, “I’d like to see him and I think he’d be relieved to know that I’m with you and getting help. I think he’s really worried about me. So you can talk to him and ask if he wants to come here.” She didn’t mention anyone else. After all, he was the only friend she had. So who else would there be who’d want to visit her? Or who she’d want to know at least some details about what was going on?

~Viyara Nazeen

“Okay,” Kingston replied. She had had a plan in mind but as had happened often since they started their session today, Janna was being adaptable. “How do you feel about having say about half an hour to hour on your own here right now? I have a couple small tasks you can do while you have some downtime and I think actually now would be a good time for me to do my errands.”

~Janna Kington, CNS

Viyara was taken a little by surprise, but nodded. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m feeling a lot calmer than I have earlier,” she said reassuringly and then asked curiously, “What do you want me to do?”

~Viyara Nazeen

Janna’s grass-green eyes swept over Viyara and yes she could tell Nazeen was doing a lot better than before. “Alright, so a bit of homework. I want you to write down two lists that you can refer to later. The first one is a list of things you can do for self-care. I’m not talking luxury, though that’s fine too, but the things you can do for yourself when you need a bit of extra love and care. It could be a massage, soaking in a hot tub, extra sleep, exercise, a cup of herbal tea, a chat with a friend. Whatever those things are I also want you to write down what things you need in order to make them happen. Some will be easy, like food or drink. It’s just the replicator. But others will require timing or booking resources. Being aware of that will remind you of what you might need to have in place to help with the healing.”

“I can do that,” Viyara nodded, already thinking of a thing or two she’d put on that list.

“The second list is a list of things you can control. I know all this is hard Viyara and it’s easy to get caught up in the fact that I am keeping you here and I get to say how to things go. But what I want you to spend some time doing is writing a list of things you can control while you are here. It could be small things like what you choose to eat or drink, to larger thing like what you share with me or not. Write the list and keep it handy and when you feel overwhelmed, pull out the list and remind yourself of you are in control over. Aim for a minimum of five things.”

Viyara nodded again as she felt the discomfort creep back up on her. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she touched the tension ball with her fingertips and said, “Okay. I’ll do that.”

Looking out the kitchen window for a moment, Janna inhaled slowly before returning her gaze to Viyara. “Believe it or not, Viyara, you did it. You did the hardest part. You told me about the hard and painful things that happened to you.” She smiled widely. “And look, you’re still here and I’m still here caring. It’s not going to be easy and there will be moments when you feel it’s all too much, but it does it get easier from here. And for the record, I’m very proud of you.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Viyara couldn’t help but snort ever so softly as she slightly shook her head. Only for her expression to turn quickly apologetic. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me and still I find that hard to believe,” she mumbled confusedly, wondering how both of those things could feel true at the same time. They were polar opposites after all, were they not?

~Viyara Nazeen