Posted by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) in Counselor’s Office - Psych Eval

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (CNS) in Counselor’s Office - Psych Eval

Posted by Commander Tello Anaar (Executive Officer) in Counselor’s Office - Psych Eval
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

So, it was to be a test of wills, then. “My coping skills are not tied to a ship, Counselor, they are internal, so what worked at my last posting will also work here. Besides, it doesn’t happen very often so no one needs to lose any sleep over it.”

—Anaar, XO

“Okay,” Janna said simply, her tone light. “My question is still valid though. When the larger floods happen, what do you do right then and what do you do later to cope?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

This woman was very persistent. You would think a counselor would pick up on the fact that Anaar wasn’t ready to talk about the subject with her. The fact that Kingston was trying to force the issue bothered the first officer. “I’ve taken care of it, Lt. I have set up any intervention I might need with someone else on the ship. So, in the unlikely event it happens, your services won’t be required to deal with it—just in case that’s why you are trying to force the issue.”

—Anaar, XO

Janna was quiet as she studied the XO for a moment. Her resistance to discuss a topic that Rollo had deemed rare and a not a big deal was one of those usual red flags that she always had to pay attention to. Every person who came into her office expected something differently from her, but it was very rare that people would respect her and her expertise if she simply gave them a pass. Rollo seemed to just want a pass here and that was puzzling for a new first officer who had the massive task of helping such a large crew through some major transitions. “I’m not forcing. I simply asked what your coping strategies were. We’ve established you have them and I’ve very glad you have someone you can trust. But as you said it’s not really a big deal and happens so infrequently that you can see why I’m a little confused, right?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

OOC: Sorry, Linds!!!
OOC: All good!

“Actually, I don’t.” Tello answered. “I told you I’ve taken appropriate steps in case it ever happens here on the ship. I would think you should be satisfied with that. I didn’t get to this position by making false statements or by taking chances with my crew. The subject you want to discuss is very private and I just met you. Perhaps at some point in the future I’ll be more comfortable about sharing, but that isn’t the case right now.” Counselling was a voluntary service an officer could avail themselves of and a boarding psych evaluation simply checked to make sure a person was sane and capable of doing their job. There was no need to divulge something so personal during an initial meeting. Anaar sat calmly and looked at Kingston, wondering when the woman would excuse her.

—Anaar, XO

It was a shame Anaar was so resistant, especially given the close working relationship the entire senior staff shared. But the choices Anaar made in this regard were her own and all Janna could do was keep the red flag in mind while letting it be. These things often had a way of either coming to the surface when they needed to or working themselves out entirely. Hopefully it wouldn’t happen in an emergency and that whatever precautions the XO had taken were good enough. “Very well,” she said. She was serious that she wasn’t forcing anything. “If there’s nothing else, you’re free to go.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Anaar rose immediately. “Thank you for your time, Lt. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.” With a nod of her head, Tello headed for the door to the outer office.

—Anaar, XO

“Undoubtedly,” Janna said softly. There was a strange but familiar feeling that moved through her and Janna didn’t push it away but let it happen and fade. It was the understanding that her job came first and would always be a barrier for many. Not all, of course, but she could not and would not compromise her professional ethics. And while it could make her appear less friendly in her office, sometimes that was just how it was.

~Janna Kingston, CNS