Shrinking The Shrink

Posted on Sunday 27 November 2016 @ 19:39 by Lieutenant Caleb Mitchell & Major Richard "Wolf" Johnson, Psy.D.

Mission: Old, New Ship
Location: CNS Office
Timeline: MD9
2789 words - 5.6 OF Standard Post Measure

"WCaleb was a little reluctant to check in with the counselor he was replacing. He, of course, had issues that he was dealing with. He thought he was doing so effectively, though he was working through them on his own, he didn't want to share them with anyone else, didn't want to show a weakness, or have anyone think he couldn't function in his job.

Checking his uniform jacket, he walked into the CNS office and looked around.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Gaerza looked up from her desk where she was pulling together files and reviewing the patient prescreen forms. The behavioral health specialist stood and smiled as she walked around her desk with a smile, "Good morning, Lieutenant, how can I help you today?" she asked, her manner pleasant as she subtly watched his eyes, expressions and body language looking for any distress that the officer may attempt to hide.

The new counselor was smiling, that much was easy for him. His body language was relaxed, though that was a little more difficult for him to pull off, but he managed. His eyes though were not something he could control. There was a haunted expression in them. "Good morning," he said, "I'm Caleb Mithcell, I'm going to be the new ship's counselor. Now, though, I'm here for my mandatory boarding evaluation. "

Gaerza nodded and extended her hand, "Well, pleasure, to meet you then, I'm Petty Officer Samantha Gaerza. I am in charge of patient intake and doing the pre-screen questions and evaluation," she explained.

He took her hand and shook it, "Good to meet you, it looks like we're going to be working a lot together. We'll have to sit down and discuss strategy and protocol after I take over, though more than likely there won't be much change in the way things are handled. I don't like to shake things up when they're working well. In the meantime, is Major Johnson free?"

"Yes, I am, Lieutenant," Wolf said as he walked through the door behind the two, "what can I do you for?" he asked with a smile.

Caleb turned, wearing a smile of his own. "Major," he said, "I don't know if you overheard, but I'm Caleb Mitchell, your replacement here. If you don't mind I'd like to have you give me my evaluation and then, if you have time, I'd like you to bring me up to speed. I've talked with the Captain already and he filled me in on some of the things going on, but I figured you could help with the details."

"Well, walk with me," Wolf said and motioned to the corridor, "tell me about yourself," the Marine said simply, using a question to gauge just how much the young officer was willing to share. No-one shared everything about themselves, even the most honest person had secrets. However, he could gauge whether or not it was a reversed and thin response or if it was a deeper type response by eye movement, micro and regular expressions, posture and even tone of voice.

Caleb turned and moved to walk beside the older man. He didn't particularly mind talking about some things, even though they might be personal, as long as those things didn't really touch on what had been going on in his life the last year or so. Those things he planned to keep a wall around, and not even mention, let alone discuss in detail. So he said, "Well, sir I had an unusual childhood and family life. I spent the majority of my teen years living with my father on a very conservative colony world. I guess like many teens I rebelled against that, but that rebellion was, say I say, inappropriate. I was actually expelled from my High School and decided to go to Earth to live with my mother.

Before I left, I had to go through some rather questionable counseling methods, that hurt more than it helped. That was the main reason that I went into counseling and psychology. I want to help people the right way, and I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through."

Johnson nodded, "Sounds like a lot of counselors are needing retraining from what people keep telling me about their experiences," he commented with a smile, "Marines are sounding more friendly lately," he added with a chuckle, "so, how about since you entered the fleet? How was the Herra? How's your personal life balancing with duty and with everything you hear as a counselor?"

"Life aboard the Hera has been good," he replied truthfully if not fully,"and at least so far, I've been able to balance my personal life with what I've heard from others while I counseled them."

Johnson raised an eyebrow as the rounded the bend and stopped in front of the turbolift and he hit the call button, "It was good, huh?" the Marine added with a smirk and crossed his arms over his chest and moved his feet shoulder width apart, "short and sweet, if not slightly evasive," the Marine commented lightly, "if a patient put it that way to you and left it at that what would your next step be?" he asked as the doors opened and he stepped in, "deck five."

The ginger haired man slid in beside the other counselor as the doors to the lift closed, "I would probably assume that he was being evasive and probe to find out why," he admitted reluctantly.

"Halt lift," Wolf ordered then leaned back relaxed against the bulkhead, "let's hear it then," he said simply but gave a supportive smile.

Knowing he wasn't going anywhere until he answered, he let out a long breath. "I lost my family, all of them except for my youngest brother in the London attack last year. I was on my way to meet them for lunch, it was supposed to be a celebration of my promotion, but I, I was delayed.I would have been there, I should have been there. I've been dealing with it, or at least I thought I've been dealing with it, my patients, my Commander didn't complain, but my boyfriend, my ex now did. Is that honest enough for you?"

Wolf didn't say anything for a long moment, instead, studying the Counselor in front of him, "How are you helping people fight their demons when you're still fighting your own?" he asked softly then held up a finger, "just think on it, don't answer. Computer, continue," he ordered, "yours is not a normal crew evaluation, I'm evaluating you to take on over twelve hundred fifty men, women and children's mental health. I have to push, intellectually you know this," the Marine explained and pushed up from the bulkhead, "I think you can and I am not trying to make you think otherwise, but you cannot bottle things up any more than your patients can. Even us shrinks need to get shrunk," he added with a smile and put a supportive hand on Caleb's shoulder.

"They say that doctors make the worst patients, that must apply to counselors as well. I don't like to share my issues or show someone else that I have a weakness. But, I am still capable of doing my job, serving the people here. But, I'll make a deal with you. Sign off on my being here, and I'll have regular sessions with you until you have to leave, even longer via subspace communication if you want."

Richard chuckled and gave a no before tapping his green collar, "You're talking to probably the only counselor in the fleet who can say they whole- heartedly can relate to not showing weakness and not putting their issues out there," he said with a grin, "and I'll hold you to that, you may be good counselor now, but great counselors can draw on their past issues to relate to their patient and help their patient open up easier. Besides, I signed off ten minutes before you got here," he added and stepped off the lift and lead Caleb to the lounge, "have you ever heard of a virus that causes physical age regression?" he asked as they made their way to the bar.

Caleb gave a brief nod in response to Wolf's comments about relating to dealing with issues but shook his head at the question about the virus. "No, I can't say that I have, but my brother-in-law is an epidemiologist, so he may have. Why, what's going on?"

"Nothing here," Wolf replied and motioned for the bartender, "about sixteen years ago I was stationed on a starbase at the crux of the Federation, Klingon and Romulan Empires, near Yadalla, as head of security then wing commander. While there the station was infected with the aforementioned virus, causing everyone to regress back to the age of thirteen or so, including my then pregnant girlfriend," the Marine explained and looked down at the bar, pausing for a moment, "the regression caused my unborn child, four months along, to be absorbed back into her body like the child had never been there...beer," he said as the bartender came over, "what you drinking, Caleb?" he asked, the light having dimmed in his eyes slightly and his expression said there was more to the story.

Perhaps it was a coping mechanism, perhaps it was just the way he was, but Caleb immediately forgot his own problems, or pushed them so far down, that they might as well have been forgotten. "Just a beer for now, "he said as he now put his hand on the Marine's shoulder, "that must have been really difficult. Why don't you tell how that made you feel and how you were able to deal with it."

Wolf smiled, "Well, I threw myself into my work. She ended up pregnant again thanks to the doctor there, but the way I coped was flying. I eventually was injured on an away mission and she left me, though really I hadn't been there through most of the new pregnancy anyway," he said with a sigh and shook his head, "she had my son and dropped him on my doorstep before heading off for a string of flings, she didn't get to cope because of me. So, I raised him by myself. He's a Second Lieutenant in flight school, majored in linguistics and xenobiology in college," the Marine added with a proud smile, "but, what you said in the lift, I really do understand where you're coming from. I've been through some things in my career......"

"You handled it like I'm handling it," Caleb said as he removed his hand from the older man, "and if you can make it through, then I know I can too. It is... hard sometimes, "you must be very proud of your son, do you think you'll be assigned together after he's out of flight school?"

"I am," Richard replied with a nod, "and probably not, at least full time, it'd be a conflict of interest to have him in any chain of command that I'm a link in, unfortunately. Command is afraid that we wouldn't be able to order a family member to a situation that could kill them. And, not only being Marine but a fighter pilot as well.....well,I both jobs separately are dangerous, then you combine the two..." he said with a sigh then smirked and looked over, "I don't think I'd let him off the deck, which, given my own career, would be kind of hypocritical," he added with a chuckle.

"I can see where it could be a conflict. I don't always agree with blanket prohibitions like that, but, in this case, I do. But tell me a little about your career."

Wolf couldn't help but smile, he hadn't meant to go into a counseling session, but, the Lieutenant was good, slipping into it with just conversation guiding where it went rather than questions, "Well, a good portion is still classified, however, I graduated Starfleet Academy with a security specialization before I applied for the Corps and ended up as a fighter pilot. My scores in flight school earned me a flight commander post right out on the Coronado. After about six months I was transferred to a diplomatic station near Yadalla. When I arrived they had been without a security chief, so, they asked me not only to head the wing but their security department. I was there for about two years and.....well, I wasn't the model officer you see before you now," he said with a grin, "while there I decided I wanted to earn a degree in Psychology and took both distance learning and classroom courses from the University of Betazed. After I recovered from the injury I told you about Starfleet then tapped me for an officer exchange program and I ended up serving as an Assistant Psychologist on a penal colony, though I found myself assisting in security matters too. About six months there, after I finished my internship I was heading home when....." Wolf stopped and got a distant look as he took a long drink from his glass, draining it in a few seconds.

Caleb took a small swallow of his own drink and his hand almost of its own volition, reached out and landed briefly on top of the Major's hand before pulling back. "When what?" he asked gently.

Richard didn't answer immediately, he had hinted but never told the full story, "I spent six months as a POW with the Breen. They grabbed me after I left the penal colony and tortured me every single day after," he started, looking at the bar top, "physically, mentally and emotionally. They put me in a holodeck and killed holographic versions of my ex-fiancee and son......I finally escaped and spent a week in a fighter, sitting in my own filth and just waiting to die until someone found me...." he explained then finally looked up, "I came to find out that I had been implanted with some kind of Borg device and the Borg, I'm guessing the free Borg faction, took me over and I nearly killed someone else I was close to.....Like I said, we all have our demons, but that's what makes us able to relate to our patients," he said and managed a weak smile, not able to hide how much it was still with him.

Caleb sat back in the bar stool, steepling his fingers. "I guess, compared to you, I have it good. I'm glad that you survived. I guess that you're the poster child for the 'if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger' camp. If you ever want to talk more about it, I'm here. Not to change the subject, but what are your plans now?"

"I don't know about being the poster child," Wolf replied with a chuckle, relieved at the change in subject, "well, I've gotten orders to report to the USS Raganarök as the commander of their Marine Company," he replied, "as much as I enjoy counseling I can't wait to have my boots on the ground again."

"Well then," Caleb said as he raised his bottle up towards the Major. "Here's to getting what we want."

"At least this time," Wolf replied with a grin and held his glass up before taking a drink from it, "and I know I didn't answer before, but, I think talking even after I go to my new assignment will help me too. I didn't mean to seem like I was ignoring you, I was just caught in the memory," the Marine added honestly, "and I don't mind if you need to call too, there is an opening for counselors to talk to each other about anything, even patients when it's something particularly heavy. I'm not your standard counselor, I don't do like the ones that you had to deal with before you became one."

"Thanks, I appreciate your trust in me and your willingness to hear me out. I can tell you're not a standard counselor and I appreciate it, but those counselors I dealt with, that was back when I was in High School. They wanted to try to change who I am into something they thought I should be. Fortunately, they're not typical either, but you're different in a good way, and they were different in a bad way."

Wolf smiled, "Well, here's to doing things right," he said and raised his glass, the evaluation quickly turning into a night hanging out and drinking.




Major Richard "Wolf" Johnson, Psy.D.
Counselor
TDY USS Merlin

Lt. Caleb Mitchell
Counselor
USS Merlin