Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Commanding Officer) in Status Report

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Status Report

Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Commanding Officer) in Status Report
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Would you tell them I don’t bite, then?” Leah said, sucking down a snort. “At… at Starfleet Medical, it was a different sort of situation. The people I treated were dealing with acute physical or psychological issues. There’s a whole different team that handles the day-to-day counselling. Here, I’m doing both, which I actually quite enjoy. But mental health practitioners are relatively rare on starships, especially those that serve farther away from the core of the Federation. I’m still in the early days where I’m trying to convince people that talking to me doesn’t count as a strike against them. But, I hear what you’re saying. What we need on the ship are more planned opportunities for the crew to bond. Something more than hoping there’s people in the galley to hang out with or that you can find people to have a dance party with.” She wasn’t ready to touch the remarks about avoiding her family.

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende nodded, “That is an acceptable request. I believe in leading by example. I can tell the crew all I want that you don’t bite, but they will believe it if they see me around you. So how about weekly sessions? And they don’t have to be in your office. We can go to the lounge and just chat, or we can even have regular session in your office as needed.”

Leah nodded slowly. “I am very open to that, and I am glad you are too. I think it’s always nice when the crew seems the captain out and about the ship more.”

“I believe mental health care is vital to a good crew. I also know there is some stigma there. There shouldn’t be. So you let me know what your schedule looks like. I know you are swamped.”

Hart laughed. “Truth. But this is important, so I will make the time.”

“Lt., Leah, how would you feel about taking lead on crew activities? Rand handles most of it, but poor girl does most things on this ship, and I think it would be good for her to work with someone, rather than doing for everyone else all the time.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah smiled. “I’d be happy to help with that. And Rand and I have interacted a few times so I think she might be open to it.” She paused for a moment to consider how she might approach the situation. “Did you want me to reach out to her myself, or would you prefer to broach the topic with Rand?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“I’ll let her know I’ve done that and you can reach out to meet with her.” Rende knew Rand didn’t particularly enjoy social situations, so planning them was problematic for her.

Cpt. Asam, CO

She nodded. “Okay then, that sounds like a plan.”

Leah gazed to the side for the moment and took a deep breath. Despite Asam coming here and asking about her personally (and not just professionally), she was still reticent about getting too personally. But she decided to go out on a limb. “Did you know my father was in Starfleet?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“No, I didn’t.” Asam had read Leah’s service record, but she didn’t do a background check. That had already been done and there was no reason to do it again. She also didn’t hold the actions of family to account for an individual. They were not the same.

Cpt. Asam, CO

She nodded slowly. “He had a Doctorate in Engineering and was a ship design specialist. He worked at the New Aberdeen Shipyards at Aldebaran III, which is where I was born and raised. He would tell me about his early career when he was a junior officer and all the antics he and his friends got into. He served on several ships until he took a design position. I could tell how proud he was to be in Starfleet and also how special being on a ship was.”

“Something about being here makes me really sad, Captain. Because my father died ten years ago and I can imagine how proud he’d be to know that not only did I eventually join Starfleet too, but that I was also serving on a starship. And there are days I wish he was around so I could tell him about it. My mother is rather toxic, and my sister is sadly and unconsciously following in her footsteps. I can avoid their calls, but not always and not indefinitely. I should be excited to be here and proud of myself for tackling the challenges I’ve had already, but I can’t find that enthusiasm. Grief is weird and it’s not linear. And so I’m just sad that other than my grandmother I don’t have anyone close to me to be my champion the way he always had been.”

~Leah Hart, NP