Posted by Lieutenant Laural Corynn Witley, Ph.D., M.D. (Counselor) in Iphigenia’s Counseling Session [tag Lieutenant Witley]

Posted by Captain Iphigenia Henao (Captain) in Iphigenia’s Counseling Session [tag Lieutenant Witley]

Posted by Lieutenant Laural Corynn Witley, Ph.D., M.D. (Counselor) in Iphigenia’s Counseling Session [tag Lieutenant Witley]
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Counseling for the a ship Captian is a must. Even though this was her first posting as a Captain shed learned this by serving under other Captains. One of them, her favorite one, “Captain Theodore “Ted” Clark, had given her this advice, “Use your ship’s Counselor. They will help you manage life’s varied challenges. And when you are having a bad day, they will help you understand what you’re feeling, why and how to cope.” Ted said the best thing Starfleet did was start putting Counselors on starships, before they did people went crazy because they were living in close proximity everyday with people they had to interact with everyday, whether it was for work or leisure.
Iphi reached Lieutenant Witley’s office and ranged her door chime. She didn’t have an appointment so she left the situation to chance. If Lieutenant Witley was busy then she would return another day. She’d have to wait to unload her thoughs and feelings, if not then she was going to sit in that chair and tell the Counselor all about her day and how she was coping with Captaining the Leviathan.

Henao, CO

Laural was not the type to like to stay in her office for hours on end, especially aboard a relatively new posting, but after her interesting conversation with the Captain and the Chief Intelligence Officer about their anomalous detainees, she decided she needed to better familiarize herself with their guests sooner than later. Wit had thought to prioritize the crew proper first, but she could certainly see the value and urgency in focusing her attention elsewhere. When her door chime sounded, she answered with a simple, “Come in,” turning, though her mind partially still on her reading.

~Dr. Laural Witley, Chief Counselor

Iphigenia stepped one foot into Lieutenant Witley’s office. “Counselor, are you busy?” she asked as she stood in the doorway. “I hope to take a few minutes of your time.” Her gaze moved around the room before she continued, “I figured we should begin building a relationship, you as the ship’s counselor and me as the commanding officer.” She stepped in the office further as she placed both her arms behind her back and clasped her hands behind it, “I know I am going to need your advice, whether its on how to improve morale or how a mission could potentially affect the crew. I also know for you to provide it effectively, I am going to have to provide a supportive environment, so that you will be able to talk openly with me, be objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental, especially during missions.”

Henao, Co

It took a moment for Laural to fully register the identity of her visitor. To the mental health professionals credit, however, she had years of practice schooling her features to prevent her own emotions from interfering with another’s ability to identify and process their own. Witley listened carefully as her captain forthrightly explained the reason for her visit.

Laural smiled, pleased to see the person she had admired while touring containment facilities was in fact every bit as genuine as Laural believed her to be. She gestured for the Captain to take a seat. “I will never be too busy for you or any member of the crew, and I must say, I find your openness and understanding of what I can offer quite refreshing. I’m not telepathic or empathic in the biological sense of the word, but in the past, captains have either made it clear they plan to merely tolerate me and my expertise or have presented a false sense of appreciation if only to try to placate me. I don’t get either vibe from you, and I mean that with all sincerity.”

~Dr. Laural Witley, Chief Counselor

“I am glad.” She took the seat. “It’s been a while since I have talked to the ship’s Counselor.” She looked around to take in the decor of the room. “I hear you have been serving on the Leviathan for a while. Can you share with me, within your capacity, what the other Captain was like? I am just trying to gauge how I need to interact with the Crew. As you probably can see, I am so nervous since this is the first time I have been in command of a Starship.”

Henao, CO