Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Charlie Bailey (Doctor) in Counselor’s Office - Checking In

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Counselor’s Office - Checking In

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Charlie Bailey (Doctor) in Counselor’s Office - Checking In
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Charlie nervously paced outside the counselling suite as she tried to pluck up the courage to enter. She knew she had to do it but after the nightmare she had experienced the night before and the trauma of her past lurking in the back of her mind, she wasn’t overly confident that she could keep her emotions in check but she wanted to make a good impression.

Taking a deep breath she finally stepped forward and gulped as the doors dutifully slid open. She closed her eyes momentarily to compose herself and approached the reception desk.

“Lt (jg) Bailey reporting for my boarding psyche evaluation,” she said with a slight crackle in her voice.

-Lt (jg) Bailey (Med)

The blond Risian smiled warmly, oozing ease. “Welcome to the Athena, Lieutenant Bailey. Let me just check…” she said, trailing off and looked at her console, her fingers moving swiftly. “Yes, here you are. Booked for your onboarding eval with Doctor Kingston. I’ll just check that she’s ready for you,” she said, moving from the arc-shaped desk.

A quick knock on the red door in the middle, and Cherry poked her head in, speaking in a soft voice. She returned a moment later and gestured towards the door. “She’s ready for you, go on in,” Cherry said.

Charlie smiled and nodded with a hint of anxiety and she reflexively tugged the sleeve of her uniform down. “Thank you,” she replied, avoiding Cherry’s gaze.

Through the red door, Janna’s office was a modest space rather fitting the petite woman. She didn’t go to great lengths to decorate, but it was definitely more than the standard grey furniture and carpet. On the wall above the couch was an image of a forest scene that could be almost anywhere and the standard grey slim arm chairs had been replaced with softer larger armchairs in a dark blue that looked inviting to curl up into. On top of the standard carpet, the sitting area was covered in a plush rug in different shades of blue. On the other side of the room where she mostly worked, there was a tall leafy plant near her desk and a single silver photo frame on the corner of the desk where she could easily see it when she worked at the computer terminal. Overall, the place was warm but practical and uncluttered- much like Janna.

The petite psychologist was sitting in one of the arm chairs, reading a PaDD. She looked up and smiled, her grass green eyes vivid. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable, Lieutenant. Welcome to the Athena.” She tucked an errant chin length blond curl behind her ear before gesturing to the seating options.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Charlie let out a nervous giggle as she tentatively stepped through the door and was pleasantly surprised at how homely the office felt. She wasn’t really sure what she expected but the Counselor’s smile did ease a little of her tension at least.

“Thank you counselor,” she replied as she gave a sheepish smile and awkwardly perched on the edge of the chair opposite, purposefully putting her hands neatly in her lap to avoid fidgeting.

Although Charlie had some training in psychology as part of her medical training, she always felt uneasy being on the other side, almost like she was on display during these examinations. She was not particularly good at masking her emotions and the trauma from her past followed her everywhere she went and was of course a regular topic of conversation.

Truth be told though, as painful as it was to recount, she did recognise that it had shaped her into the person she was today. Without the accident her life may well have gone in a very different direction.

Bringing her attention back to the present she smiled again and unconsciously tugged at her sleeve again as she spoke, “so I guess you want to know about me then?” She asked with a nervous chuckle.

-Lt (jg) Bailey (Doctor)

She tilted her head slightly and leaned forward, exuding a well of calm. “Always, Charlie. I always want to know about the people I meet, no matter the circumstances. But this isn’t an interview, and I want you to know that I operate under some slightly different parameters than other therapists might. I’m not here to stir up things, or dig where I’m not wanted. I’m here as a sounding board, a friendly ear. If there is an issue, I absolutely will say something, and even intervene farther if I must, but your life is your journey. I like to think of myself as an interpreter and guide, no more, no less.”

Janna paused there, all too aware of the tension and nervousness. It pinged on her senses and made her want to just hug the other woman and tell her it would be okay. But more than that, it helped Janna focus the trajectory of this meeting.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Charlie raised a quizzical eyebrow, somewhat taken aback at Janna’s response. She had become very accustomed to how these evaluations normally went and it was pleasantly refreshing to hear that the counselor was happy for Charlie to take the lead. She let out a small sigh of relief and smiled as she relaxed back into her chair. “Thank you counselor, that is a great relief to hear,” she replied, on the verge of tears.

Still forward, Janna just exuded calm and reassurance.

Charlie closed her eyes and took a moment to compose herself, letting out an audible sigh. Taking a moment to think she sat forward again with a puzzled expression on her face. “The problem is, I don’t really know what to talk about now,” she added with a chuckle. She had become so used to her psyche sessions being all about working through her trauma that in an odd way she wasn’t sure how she could define herself without it.

-Lt (jg) Bailey (Doctor)

She nodded. “I’m not saying we can’t or won’t talk about the things that challenge us, but you are here on a new ship and my goal is to help you find your footing and settle in. When we go through big changes, the challenges and traumas can trip us up. But I don’t want you walking into your first shift afraid that that will happen. You have made it this far and you can and should be proud of that,” Janna said, with rather a fierce determination.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Charlie smiled and nodded in agreement. She had never really thought about it that way but she had to admit, she was proud of how far she had come.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, I never thought about it like that…” she mused as she crossed her legs. “I was on my last posting for just under 3 years so I was pretty settled but it just felt like something was missing,” she added as she thought back to why she had wanted a change. Charlie had discovered a lot about herself on her last posting but she had begun to miss the bustle and community of being on a larger ship.

• Lt (jg) Bailey (Doctor)

“Have you figured out what that something is?” Janna asked. There were several followup questions that came to mind, but now she took this slowly.

~Janna Kingston, CNS