Posted by Lieutenant Cara Esmé O’Farrell (Counselor / Education Specialist) in Alt Timeline - Counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Brenner “Bren” Satis (Doctor/specialty in neuroscience) in Alt Timeline - Counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Cara Esmé O’Farrell (Counselor / Education Specialist) in Alt Timeline - Counselor
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Bren had an undergraduate degree in psychology, a doctorate in neuroscience, and the empathic abilities of a Betazoid. Outside the requirements of the job, he’d spent little time on a counselor’s couch. Still, as he palmed the chime alerting Counselor O’Farrell of his arrival, he had a nagging sense that he was entering a meeting whose outcome he wasn’t confident he could control. He chalked it up to the fact that, although he’d been out of the Academy for a number of years, this was his first ship assignment. It was a shift in his career trajectory to move from the Daystrom Institute to the Atlantis.

Had he sorted out his reasons enough in his own mind to explain it to a trained professional?

A woman, wearing a blue medical uniform, with curly bright red hair, green eyes, and classic pale skin marked her as having strong Irish Terran heritage stood in the open doorway. A very strong Irish accent flowed from her, “Lt Brenner Satis? I’m Lt Cara O’Farrell.” She stepped back from the door. “Please come in.” She offered her hand for a firm shake that seemed to put people at ease and make them feel welcome.

When the door opened, the Counselor would see nothing that outwardly gave away any inner conflict or doubt. Instead she would see an officer whose blue, grey and black uniform fit well over his trim frame and who combined eyes that crinkled slightly in the corners when he smiled. And he smiled easily.

Satis, MO

The counselor returned his easy smile as he stepped into her office. Immediately to the left of the door was a desk sitting catty-corner. A variety of places to sit, including a large reinforced couch, and low tables dotted the rest of the open area. The right wall was taken up with a wall to wall, floor to ceiling storage until. Books, various pieces of art, and nick knacks covered the shelves. The office was filled with shades of green and blue, brown and orange. “Help yerself te the replicator and have a seat.” O’Farrell grabbed a glass of tea off her desk and had a seat in one of the chairs.

O’Farrell

During long shifts in the lab Bren tried to balance the need for caffeine and hydration. As he entered the Counselor’s warm and inviting office he opted for the latter. Glass of sparkling water in hand he took a seat on the couch across from O’Farrell.

“Nice to meet you Counselor,” Bren made a point of looking around his surroundings. “This is quite the relaxing sanctuary. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous. I’m afraid I spend most of my time in far more sterile environments.”

Satis, MO

“Thank you. I canna say I take credit for the decor. The previous counselor did that, but I liked it and kept it this way. When one is battlin’ the monsters that silently haunt us, a sanctuary is necessary. Donna ya think?” O’Farrell smiled, it was the same with patients battling illness. “And when we have these mandatory check-ins it’s nice ta break up the monotony. And it makes for a pleasant place ta spend my duty shift.”

“That it does. I remember learning during a Psych 101 class back at the Academy how something as simple as the color of a room’s walls could make a significant difference in how patients felt. Blues and greens were popular colors for creating a calming environment, if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Where are ya joinin’ us from, Lt?”

O’Farrell

“The Daystrom Institute,” Bren relaxed into the back of the couch he was seated on as he maintained eye contact. “This is my first ship assignment post Starfleet Medical. Space was the goal when I joined Starfleet, of course, but it’s taken me a bit longer than expected to get here. What about you, Counselor? How long have you been aboard the Atlantis?”

Satis, MO