Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Pre-Sim - Counseling Intake - James Rowe

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade James Rowe (Scientist) in Pre-Sim - Counseling Intake - James Rowe
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She liked that he was being forthcoming. It meant that he was more open to the conversation in general and wasn’t viewing it simply as an obstacle to be overcome. “Are there things you’ve found that help those symptoms?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“Nothing long term.” James said flatly. “There are lots of things that provide some temporary relief… massage, acupuncture, and dry needling all seem to help for a few hours up to a day. EMDR’s (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) pain protocol is helpful in the moment. But it feels more meditative and isn’t practical while on duty.”

He paused a moment before saying the next part, a sense of ironic humor leaking into his voice… “Nerve blockers or good old fashioned alcohol make me care a hell of a lot less about it, but I reserve those for days where I’m off duty the next morning.”

Rowe

Janna took a moment to process what his treatment plan constitute and frowned slightly. There were always situations where a certain amount of discomfort was the best they could do, but it was rare. She wasn’t here to ‘fix’ him, nor was it her place to try to, but offering opportunities for healing was. “I know your medical care team has a lot of it covered, but how has your mental health workers been able to support the work the medical staff are doing?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“It has been better since the doctors have figured out the sleep equation. It was real touch and go there for a bit when I struggled to sleep because a sheet against my skin felt oppressive. I was on edge and sometimes a real bear.” He said casually.

• Rowe

Janna was quiet for a moment and fully took in that he didn’t answer her question. Sidestepped it quite deftly, even. “When our nervous systems are dysregulated due to any number of issues, it can definitely cause a lot of cascading problems. I’m curious about what other counsellors have suggested in terms of mental exercises to help with that. Even if the physical symptoms are better, as you’ve established, it’s not nil.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

OOC: I completely missed the word “workers” the first time around… LOL

Rowe sat there quietly as he thought about the question. “I’ve been engaging in weekly EMDR Pain Protocol Sessions. The therapists have had me practicing the breathing and bilateral stimulation routines that go along with it. It serves its purpose… it doesn’t make the pain ‘better’ per se… but it does alleviate some of the sensation in the moment. It’s pretty useful after a shift. When I’m using it after a shift to wind down, I can’t do the bilateral light stimulation… so I use binaural audio instead paired with bilateral taps.”

Janna nodded, taking in the information and adding it to the overall impression she was gathering of Rowe. “Finding small ways to adapt techniques is good. It allows us to make use of them even when conditions aren’t ideal.”

James shifted in his seat trying to find a more comfortable position. “When I was planet-side, I would do that while laying in the floor of my closet. It was a smaller space that somehow felt quieter, almost in a sensory deprivation type of way. Obviously that’s not as accessible on a ship given the space constraints.”

Rowe

Kingston braced her right elbow on the arm of the chair and held her chin with her thumb and the side of her index finger. “Hmm, actually that’s really interesting. If you could recreate something similar to that here, would you want to do so?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

James nodded silently for a moment before responding. “Absolutely. A good hidey-hole to disconnect sounds delightful.” He said in what was easily the most honest response he’d offered to any question thus far.

Rowe

Her mind was already working on some options and she grinned. “I like getting creative. Okay, so maybe this is something we can figure out together, if you’re comfortable. If you’re alright with it, maybe I can come by your quarters and we can look at what sort of solutions we can come up with? I happen to be friends with the Chief Engineer, and I know he loves a good challenge. He wouldn’t even need to know the reason.” Janna was generally cautious about insinuating herself as a therapist into people’s personal spaces unless invited, but there were limits to what could be achieved in her office. Sometimes you just had to get out and where the work needed to happen.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

For a moment the thought of making an inappropriate quip crossed his mind, but he thought better of it. “I’m open to that, at the very least it sounds interesting.” He said honestly as he casually adjusted in the seat trying to find a more comfortable position.

Rowe

One of the challenges of Janna’s burgeoning abilities was the inability to glean context. The small emotional blip was notable to her, and she could make several guesses, but she was careful not to draw any conclusions. “Good, alright then. Why don’t you go ahead and get settled, finish any checkins that remain etcetera and we’ll meet later. When do you think would be a good time for me to come by?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

James shrugged, “Honestly I’m pretty wide open. I’m currently scheduled on the third duty shift, so anytime that isn’t then would be fine. I’m a bit of a homebody most of the time. I only ask for a few minutes of prior notice so that I can be dressed appropriately.”

Rowe

Janna laughed. “No impromptu visit, gotcha. How about tomorrow morning? 1000 hours? I can come by after the senior staff meeting.” That would give him the rest of the day to settle in, finish checkins, and also have a chance to get to know his own space before she made suggestions to change it.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“That sounds perfect.” James said with a smile. He shifted his weight again unsure if she was preparing to dismiss him or if their conversation was going to take a turn.

Rowe