Posted by Lieutenant Surra Almikaz (Chief of Psychiatry) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients

Posted by Lieutenant Surra Almikaz (Chief of Psychiatry) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Surra was startled by the sound of the chime because she had never heard anyone ring it before. She figured it was the Commander but wasn’t sure. Most beings, especially the ones with her rank and position, just strolled into her office without any type of announcement.
“Commander if that is you, you may enter!”

Almikaz, Counselor

Stepping through the doors, Dira gave Almikaz a smile and immediately settled herself into one of the chairs at the desk. “So, Starfleet strikes again. I got the news a little while ago. I do hope you’ll let me know if you need anything during this transition?” she said, crossing one leg over her knee

Commander Myqian, XO

Surra smiled back and said, “Everything has been above expectation so far. I love being here and the Psychiatric Suite is amazing. I have not activated HARLEEN yet but I am anxious to do so. I don’t know what more I could ask for.”
She sat in her chair and said, “Well, Commander, thank you for coming in to see me. I heard Dr. Iven was incredible and you both were close. You trusted him wholly with your wellbeing and mental health.” She placed both her hands together and continued, “I know you don’t know me as well but hope you will give me an opportunity to pick up where he left off.”
Surra looked down at the PADD and picked it up, “I was reading your psych profile and I saw that Dr. Iven proposed chemical suppression therapy for your telepathy. I would like to know more. Are you having issues with it?”

Almikaz, Counselor

It was an obvious question and one she herself would have asked if the situation had been reversed, and yet it still surprised her a little. “Well, it was sort of a last resort I suppose as I’ve been feeling really off lately. There was a situation that triggered some old grief rather hard and I’ve been feeling everything else rather intensely. Despite all the training in building mental shields, mine have never been enough to block everything out if I want them to, and I’ve been picking up something for awhile that really throws me off, so the idea was that if we blocked my telepathy for a short period of time and gave my brain a break, maybe it would improve even some of my emotional distress. Not my idea of a fun time but I could argue with his logic.” Dira wasn’t embarrassed in anyway, despite pretty much having collapsed in a heap after walking into his office. It wasn’t the first time she’d need the support of a therapist, nor the last.

Commander Myqian, XO

Surra listened to the Commander carefully as she spoke, assessing every word she said and after was done, she gave her professional opinion, “I see,” she said as she glanced over Dira’s profile on her tablet. Then she looked at her and said, “I must say, Commander, I do not think chemical suppression is the best option for you.” She stood and walked in front of her desk so she could be closer to the Commander as she explained why. “I am concerned about the effects suppressing your abilities will have on you in particular. Being Haliian and Betazoid, both races are supposed to have extraordinary telepathic abilities. They are a part of you. The fact that you are ½ of both species, well no wonder you are feeling things intensely. Probably more than a full-blooded Betazoid or Haliian. I understand that this may be overwhelming at times, and you just want it to go away or completely stop.”

It was rare that Dira encountered a non-telepath who understood the intricacies of her abilities. She was used to people understanding the basic idea of how her brain worked, but the reality was so much more complicated.

She looked at her thoughtfully and said, “You mentioned that something is throwing you off. I think your telepathic abilities are there to protect you, they make you whole and guard you. Maybe your abilities are trying to alert you about something? If you don’t have them…well then what safeguards do you have? I know you think that your brain needs a break, you just want normality, but is that really possible for a half-Haliian, Betazoid? Are you not concerned that by suppressing your natural abilities you will be suppressing important parts of yourself? You won’t be…you. At least not 100%. I recommend exploring alternative methods to control your telepathic abilities”

Dira deflated a little, sinking into the chair. She was tired. Days of wariness and observing how people had noted the changes in her were only putting her more on edge. And Almikaz wasn’t there only a few hours ago when she had practically had a meltdown in this office.

Surra crossed her arms then said, “However if chemical suppression is something you still want to explore, then I will proceed as you wish. I had to at least give you my perspective as it relates to you. I would not be a good therapist if I didn’t

Almikaz, CoP

“Needs versus wants,” Myqian said. “Do I want to do this? No. Do I need to? There is a good argument to be made for going ahead with it. I hear what you’re saying and I actually agree with it. But right now my grief and the situation that triggered it is overwhelming me. And being hyper-aware of everyone, as I am, is only distressing me more at the moment.” The hand resting on the desk tightened into a fist, knuckles paling. “I don’t need to be a telepath to hear the whispers, see the worried glances. The crew is noticing that I’m not myself and that in turn is compounding my distress. I am not the kind of commander that has to appear infallible to the crew, but this is different and I’m not okay with it. And we’ve done a temporary suppressant before in crisis situations where I was overwhelming. Knocking down my abilities actually made me more clear-headed in those situations, not less.”

She sighed. “Séan wanted to do the suppressant for two weeks. That might be a bit excessive. What about three or four days? We ease that stressor and I can fall back on my other self care options and see where I end up.”

Commander Myqian, XO