ALL NOVEL 98. An Interesting Case (Tess)
I bid my newest client a good day, then waved as she and her mother headed out to the parking lot. Then after they were gone I turned and hurried back into my office again. I made sure to close the door behind me, even though I didn't have anyone with me and normally wouldn't have needed the additional privacy.
Once I was seated at my desk I had a couple gulps from my water bottle, then opened up my laptop and quickly started typing out my after-session notes. I was excited and didn't want to forget any details, but at the same time I had to be careful what I wrote down. As much as I wanted to be thorough, I actually forced myself to omit a few things, and falsify a few more.
It was as frustrating as it was intriguing.
For one thing the eighteen-year-old girl I'd just spent the last fifty minutes talking with all but told me she was plural. She had another self sharing her body, the two of them had different personality traits and used different names. She said her other self spoke to her, that the two of them communicated. She even admitted to periods of amnesia, and that her other self took executive control of their body at times.
I really needed to speak with Emma about the girl, I definitely needed my coworker's advice or input on how to help my newest client.
Unfortunately the situation was a lot more complicated.
The teen girl I just met wasn't human. And worse, she seemed to believe her problems stemmed from her supernatural heritage. She didn't actually tell me what she was, but she said enough for me to know that her situation was probably unique. She said she was a hybrid of two different kinds of supernatural beings, and that she was artificially created. The final surprise was the revelation that she could see magic. She knew my engagement ring was enchanted, she even identified the magic as coming from a goddess.
And I promised to keep all those details to myself. I couldn't put them in my case notes, I couldn't mention them to Emma, and I especially couldn't share them with Bev. So there was no mention of anything supernatural, but I did indicate the girl was adopted since there was nothing unusual about that.
That last detail all but confirmed she was the girl Amy told me about back in May, the one who'd been injured by a goddess masquerading as a high school English teacher over a year ago. The girl didn't mention that in our session today, or the fact that she was hospitalized last year. But combined with the things she did tell me, I couldn't help feeling for her. She'd been through so much in such a short period of time, my heart really went out to her.
Once I was finished with my notes I double-checked everything before saving them, and by that time it was just past twelve and time for lunch. I knew Emma would be in the break room so I hurried in there to meet her.
"Hello Tess," my colleague greeted me as I moved to the fridge to get my lunch.
"Hi Emma," I replied with an excited smile. "I have some questions for you if you don't mind talking about work over lunch?"
She shook her head, "Not at all. Is this about a client?"
"Yes," I nodded as I quickly stuffed my plastic container into the microwave to get it warming. Like usual I had some leftovers from the dinner Amy prepared for us last night, along with a can of cola.
As soon as it was ready I sat down across from her at the small table. And while she quietly munched on a sandwich I elaborated, "She's a brand-new client, a teen girl I just saw before lunch? She all but told me she's plural, and I wanted to speak with you about how I should handle her, and how I can help her."
Emma's eyebrows crept up, and after a gulp of her water she asked "When you say she all but told you, can you elaborate? Did she actually say something along those lines, or are you reading into it?"
"I know you've been very interested in plurality Tess," the older woman continued, "And I'm sure I don't have to warn you about the dangers of projecting your own expectations or desires onto your clients. Particularly a brand-new client whom you've only met once."
I grimaced, "I know Emma, and I know how this probably looks. And while she didn't use the word or refer to her situation as being plural, she did tell me she has another 'half' sharing her body. She described this other self as going by a different name and having different personality traits. She even said the other individual has spoken with her a few times. Oh and she confirmed she's experienced periods of amnesia, and her other half has taken executive control of her body at times."
Emma's expression settled into a thoughtful frown as she had another bite of her sandwich, so I finally took a forkful of my lunch as well. The two of us ate in silence for a minute or two, before she finally responded.
"What's the client's background?" she asked. "Was this 'other half' the reason she came to see you? Or did that come out of another issue? And did she tell you what her goals were for therapy?"
I took my time with another mouthful of lunch while I figured out how much I could safely tell her about the girl's background. Obviously the supernatural aspects were out, but I figured most of the other details were safe.
After washing down my pasta with a gulp of soda I replied, "She's eighteen years old, but she'll be nineteen soon. She's trans, she came out just under two years ago and there was some trauma and upheaval around that event? And she's adopted. I don't know much at all about the parents, either biological or adoptive, we haven't got into that yet."
"The situation with her 'other half' is the reason she came to see me," I added. "Apparently she only just figured this out recently, when the other self started talking to her at the beginning of last month. But she didn't say what she was hoping to achieve, only that this other self was the reason she came to see me."
Emma had another gulp of water then nodded slowly, "All right Tess. It's not much to go on, but considering you've only just met her that's not a surprise. My first suggestion is you take copious case notes then bring this up at the regular staff meetings so both me and Bev can help you out. I'm happy to help where I can, and give advice where applicable, but she's your client."
"Thank you," I smiled. That faded quickly though as I asked, "So do you have any immediate suggestions, anything I could do or say or what to look for next time I see her?"
She nodded, "First thing is just get to know her better. Second thing is find out what exactly her goals are for therapy. Those can and usually do change over time, but it's always good to have some sort of goal in mind. Beyond that, I'd try and find out how old she was when she was adopted. Ask how things are for her at home, or what it was like for her growing up. And what it's like for her now? Does she have any other issues, like depression, anxiety, that sort of thing?"
"I'll always tell people that there's different kinds of plurality," she added, "But if this girl's seeking help from a mental health care professional then there could be co-morbidities. If she's dealing with unprocessed trauma or PTSD-like symptoms this could be DID. But all of that is a hundred-percent speculation, and you cannot make any assumptions. That's why I'm telling you what to look for, what to ask about. Ok?"
I grimaced, "Yeah I get it Emma. Thanks for reminding me of all that though. Do you have any suggestions I can share with her, to help her in the short term? Going off of what she's already told me, there's another self in there with her and that's causing my client distress."
Emma finished her water then sighed, "Communication and cooperation are probably the two most important skills for a plural system to have. You said your client has already talked with this other half, so that's a good start? Although communication on its own can mean a lot of things, obviously arguing or yelling at each other isn't ideal. But if your client and her 'other half' can carry on a conversation together, that's a big positive. If they can learn to work together as a team that would be great. But communication is the first step."
"That makes a lot of sense," I nodded. "Thank you Emma, I really appreciate it."
She replied, "Any time Tess. Just don't forget everything else I said, ok? Do the legwork and get all the background with your client, don't just make assumptions and go from there. And do bring this up at the staff meetings. I think maybe Bev should have been involved in this discussion, to be honest?"
"Why, what have you two been talking about?" our boss asked as she came into the break room and headed over to the fridge to get herself a cold drink.
Both Emma and I cringed slightly, I could tell my coworker didn't realize our boss was in earshot when she said that last part.
"We were just discussing my newest client," I replied. "Her situation seemed to fall into Emma's area of expertise, so I asked for some advice on how to handle things."
Bev looked thoughtful as she had a sip of her orange juice. Then she nodded, "Ok. I'm sure I'll see all the pertinent details when I review your case notes, and maybe we'll discuss it at the end of the week."
"Of course," I replied as she turned and headed back out of the break room.
When she was gone Emma whispered, "Sorry Tess, I didn't realize she was right there."
"It's ok," I shook my head. "You're right, I should have waited and brought this up at the appropriate time. I'm actually surprised Beverly didn't make that comment herself, that discussing clients' sessions in the break room was unprofessional or something."
The older woman grimaced as she agreed, "I'm sure there's a fine line between gossip and consulting. I don't think we were anywhere near that point, but I can see how it might seem that way. Especially to someone coming in part-way through the conversation."
We both decided to let it go there. As soon as I was finished my lunch I went back to my office and made myself a few more notes, basically I jotted down the suggestions and comments Emma made. And I reviewed my session notes once more, just to make sure I didn't miss anything important. And to verify I didn't include anything I shouldn't.
When I finished with my notes I had some spare time left before my next appointment so I spent it reading some of the literature Emma had recommended in the past, about working with plural clients. It was interesting and reinforced some of the things my colleague already told me, but I felt it wasn't as helpful as just asking her directly. Even if she didn't have a lot of experience, she still had more than me when it came to that subject.
I didn't have any more eventful encounters for the rest of the afternoon, just two normal clients and some paperwork. At the end of the day I thanked Emma again for her input and advice, before heading for home.
One nice thing about our town, the rush hour traffic was never all that bad. It didn't hurt that home was so close to the clinic either, so even a bad drive never took more than ten or twelve minutes.
Soon enough I was back at the apartment, where my girlfriend was relaxing on the sofa with a glass of wine.
"Hello love," she greeted me as I came in.
I smiled as I headed to the bedroom to get changed, "Hi cutie. I'll be with you in two minutes."
It didn't even take that long to get out of my work clothes and into a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt. Then I made a quick stop at the fridge to get myself a cold drink. And finally I got comfy on the sofa next to my girlfriend.
After a sip of wine I told her, "So I have a bit of news for you."
"Oh yeah?" she asked as she shifted closer so she could cuddle against my side. "Good or bad?"
I shrugged, "Neutral? Or good maybe, I don't know. Anyways remember Raven said she had a supernatural friend who was looking for a therapist? That referral showed up today."
Amy sat up straight and turned towards me, she had a concerned look on her face as she asked "What kind of supernatural are they?"
"Sorry Amy," I grimaced as I shook my head. I had a larger gulp of wine then added, "I'd love to tell you more, but I just can't."
I really did want to tell her, there was so much about that client I wanted to talk about, but I just couldn't. Between client confidentiality rules, my own morals, and the fact that I promised the girl that I wouldn't divulge any of her supernatural secrets to anyone, I really couldn't say anything else about her. And for that matter I didn't even know what she was, she didn't tell me.
My girlfriend sighed, "All right Tess, I understand. Just promise you'll be careful, ok? Keep yourself safe."
"Of course," I nodded. "If it makes you feel better, I really don't believe this client poses any danger at all."
She smiled, "I'm glad. I hope you're able to help them with whatever's going on. I'm sure Raven will be happy too, if you're able to help her friend."
"Thanks Amy," I smiled back. "I'll do my best."
"I know you will," she replied as she cuddled up against my side again.
I was just about to ask where the cat was, when our little torty jumped up onto the sofa and flopped over on my lap in a blatant bid for belly rubs. So I obliged, and I couldn't help thinking it was a good way to end a workday.
With a cold glass of wine in my hand, my girlfriend cuddling against my side, and a happy purring kitty on my lap, life felt pretty good.
