Therapeutic Sessions - Ch. 02
A Particular Client
I should have named my first story in this series "Vol 1" but since I did not, I really can't change it now. Each in the series is standalone and has nothing to do with characters in the other volumes/ chapters unless otherwise noted.
In two of my other stories, I have a therapist character who ended up with her client. One of them did it by the book. I still got a lot of flack from - I guess - therapist readers. In my life, I've had three therapists, all women, and each started as couples counseling, with two moving on to individual therapy. I ended up having sex with two of them, while still a patient. I'm fully aware of the well-guarded relationship and the oath. Therapists are humans at the end of the day, not better nor worse than anyone else, and susceptible to the same desires and needs.
"It could never happen" comments won't change the fact that for me, at least, two-thirds of therapists are willing to break their oath, just like a loving wife is often willing to break a vow. They are the same thing - exactly. I also understand that my experience isn't the same as many patients and that at least a majority of mental health professionals take their oath seriously.
That's the warning here. If you're triggered by therapists hooking up with a client, don't go any further.
Relax; it's just a story, people.
"That went well," Allison Brown told one of her two newest clients, Dane Emsley. Moments before, they'd witnessed Gloria Emsley, Rob's soon-to-be-ex-wife stand abruptly and vehemently walk out the door, slamming it behind her.
"I did warn you," Allison continued, "that this might happen."
"You did," Dane sighed. "As soon as you started putting her into a corner, just like you said at our one-on-one session."
"It's going to be okay, Dane," Allison consoled softly but professionally. "Let's schedule you for your next session and see if we can make them more consistent. It will do you good to talk to someone, and since you're still on your wife's insurance, it won't cost you an arm and a leg."
"Hey," Dane chuckled nervously. "We still have ten minutes on the clock."
Allison knew exactly what Dane was doing. In fact, it was as normal as any human physical response. Feelings of ultimate failure, uncertainty of the future, concerns for his two small children - the finality of what had happened, and Dane was in shock. His nervousness and the uneven laughing were as normal as a person jumping to their feet after being struck by something suddenly, trying to prove to themselves they could still function.
"No," Allison said smoothly and softly. "I think this is a good place to stop for today. Dane, go home and reflect on what happened. Don't drink alcohol tonight. Just think about what happened here today, and then, if you can, write down your thoughts about it. If your mind allows, write down a few things you want to do as your next steps. I'll see you... day after tomorrow - same time, all right?"
Allison:
Every therapist has those examples that hit close to home. Sometimes, as I'd learned in school, trying to determine why was an exercise in futility. Other times, a therapist knows right away. Today's session was definitely the former. Something about Dane struck me and tugged at my heartstrings. It was clear he was one of the 'good guys,' and he'd suffered a horrible injustice.
Hearing Dane's story, it was difficult not to show my shock and disappointment. Gloria was a piece of work, and she would need years of personal therapy, possibly even intensive psychiatry to make her a healthy person, capable of a happy life amongst the other humans.
Dane had described how they'd married far too young, but Gloria displayed more than ignorant youthfulness. She also displayed narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies. Dane probably didn't even know half of the story. The poor woman had witnessed her own mother's death at the age of eight. It had happened right in front of the family home as a drunk driver jumped the curb and hit her mother on the front lawn.
At fourteen, she 'left' her home with a male friend, moving to Oklahoma, only to find out that she was a quasi-prisoner to the much older boyfriend. After a year, she stole money for a bus ticket home. The way she'd told it, I understood the man, not the boy, had been smart enough to make it seem like she couldn't leave, but careful to not implicate himself in an underage kidnapping.
Dane and she married after dating for eight months, and she hadn't even turned nineteen yet. She got pregnant, and during that time, Dane found out she'd been spending the mortgage payments on things for the newborn, or herself. By the time their daughter was born, Dane had already made plans to sell their mobile home, surrender the brand-new car to the bank, and then move to California to be closer to his family. Unfortunately, that took Gloria far away from hers. With no real support system, it was just a matter of time.
They made it two years, according to Dane. I, of course, believed that was quite naïve on his part. After their son was born, Gloria went back to work, in a supermarket deli, and shortly thereafter hurt her back.
She had insurance, and the chain food store had her checked out, and sent her to a local chiropractor. Two months later, Dane received a call.
Watching him tell it, I almost cried for him. He was only four years older than his wife and was now approaching his twenty-sixth birthday. The chiropractor's receptionist had called. Dane thought it was about a missed appointment until she explained.
"I'm calling to speak with you, Mr. Emsley," she'd told him. "This is my last day at the office. I'm a Christian woman, and I can't stay here, knowing what I know. Mr. Emsley, I'm sorry, but Dr. Burke is having sexual relations with at least a dozen of his patients and your wife is one of them. I'm sorry to spring this on you, but after some soul-searching, I thought you had the right to know."
When Dane confronted her that night, Gloria didn't admit or deny it, she simply told him she didn't want to be married anymore. When he'd asked for more information, she'd shrugged her shoulders despondently. Dane wandered through the next week in a fog, battling the first two stages of grief. Seven days after the confrontation, Gloria left the children, a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy with the upstairs neighbor, which he didn't discover until midnight when he came home from work.
Dane had grilled the neighbor, and she finally relented at that late hour. His wife had gone to the club. I watched Dane's expression change from blind rage to controlled anger as he related the facts to me. That night, when she arrived home at one thirty, Dane had her bags packed and told her to get out.
Drunk as Gloria was, she still had the presence of mind to call the cops to help her sort out the children. California laws, like them or not, are very different from most of the nation. The police came, listened to both Dane and Gloria, and then allowed her to take them. Dane told me there was no way she could pass a breathalyzer test, and he planned on suing the city over it.
After several days, Dane was able to convince his wayward wife to meet, so they could discuss the terms of their separation. By then, she'd moved in with what Dane described as a six-foot-four giant of a loser drug addict. Actually, she'd moved into his parents' house, where the giant also lived. He didn't have his place. Two days later, Dane was able to pick up the children for a 'visit.' He told me how badly he'd wished that he had just taken them right then and ran.
Within a week though, something went right for Dane. The new boyfriend's mother had convinced Gloria to clean up her business with Dane and told her she should go to marriage counseling, if for no other reason than to be fair and equitable to the kids. She obviously didn't understand couples therapy, but that proved to work out for both Dane and Gloria.
In my session with Gloria, she said she knew Dane had cheated with her bridesmaid. She never confronted him, but believed he was still seeing other women on the side. So, instead of talking, she'd decided she could step out of the marriage as well. The more Gloria talked that day, the more I realized she had some deep-seated issues, stemming from her childhood, especially trust issues.
Dane never brought up any infidelity on his part, which would be par for the course. He told a different story about his wife, her spending, her indifference, and the challenges that came to light almost right after they gave their vows. I didn't think we'd get past the third session, but my predictions weren't important. Only what was necessary for everyone's well-being was, and as always, I took that challenge.
The first combined session found Gloria railing into Dane. She had a laundry list of his inadequacies. Even the untrained could see she was trying to paint him as the villain. Some of what she'd proposed could have been legit, but from talking to him one-on-one, I was already suspicious of most of what she'd said. She seemed quite proud of herself by the end of that meeting. Dane looked beaten and unable to move. Even his breath seemed labored, as she attacked him with things, he'd had no idea about previously.
In today's meeting, I focused on her actions, asking open questions about what she could improve on in the relationship. We never made it to the end of the session. Gloria repeated her quest to no longer be married and told us both that Dane better get on board with her desires or she'd make sure the kids grew up hating him. With that, she made her big exit.
