Let’s talk..

Posted on 19 Mar 2025 @ 9:56pm by Lieutenant Commander Kennedy Monroe M.D. & Lieutenant T’Mari Rael

1,212 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Bait and Switch
Location: CMO’s Office
Timeline: June 29, 2390 || 1000 hours

T’Mari walked into Sickbay it’d been a little while since her hostage ordeal, but she needed someone to talk to, and Kennedy seemed the logical choice. She wasn’t sure if she was in her office but she made her way across to it popping her head round the door. “Knock, Knock” she offered a smile.

Kennedy looked up from her computer and smiled. "Why hello." Monroe gestured for the other woman to come in closer and make herself comfortable, then thinking better of it, she have stood from her chair, her practiced eye going up and down over T'Mari. "Are you feeling okay?" With all the talk of clones and scanning processes, Monroe was a bit more hypervigilant.

“Not really..” T’Mari sighed as she took a seat. “The whole hostage situation has me rattled, I’ve been throughit once before and it took me ages to shake the nightmares back then. Now I’ll have a whole new set of nightmares.”

Kennedy finished coming around her desk and sat beside T'Mari, turning her body to face the counselor. "How may I support you?"

“As hard as it is to admit, I need a Counsellor” T’Mari sighed. “As the saying goes ‘who counsels the counsellor?’ Generally that would be another counsellor onboard, but right now it’s just me plus I don’t want to put my position as Chief Counsellor in jeopardy. If Starfleet think I’m unfit they’ll remove me from duty, hence why I’m here.”

"I would hope Starfleet would understand the difference between being unfit and having a normal emotional reaction to a traumatic event, but I take your point. Either way, you don't have to deal with this alone, and it's no secret that as CMO, I can be called upon to act as a counselor at any time. In fact, the older I get, the more I appreciate the strong connection between mind and body," she added with a small smile. It was the reason she made a point to gain more than a passing understanding of tending to people's emotional needs as well as their physical ones. "So, what do you think is getting in the way of your healing process?"

“I had a similar experience before, a more traumatic one.” T’Mari paused. “I received counselling for it, now this experience has brought up memories all over again.”

"That sounds intense," Kennedy replied sympathetically. "It also makes sense. When these memories come up, what do you do to cope?"

“Generally I use varied methods, there’s the sit and sob it out, or the meditation to get a hold of myself routine, or a nice trip to the holodeck or Arboretum to chill out.” T’Mari offered a smile. “Plus there’s the seek help and talk to someone route.”

The doctor's smile matched the counselor"s. "I fully endorse talking as a meaningful path to healing. I don't think I have to tell you about the physiological processes behind flashbacks and other trauma symptoms, but I am wondering, what are you saying to yourself about experiencing these symptoms now? Are you able to be patient and kind to yourself about it or is there something about these experiences you are still wrestling with?"

“Good question” T'Mari sighed. “As a Counsellor I tell myself I should be able to cope with this, to give it time, but somehow I’m not happy with that. I guess as someone who advises others, I feel I should be able to cope but instead I’ve been running away from it rather than facing it. To heal you have to face your fears, and that’s what I need to do.”

"It's hard to see the nose on your own face, no matter how many noses you've seen," Kennedy replied with a sympathetic nod. "What would facing your fears look like and how can I help?"

“I guess for me this is part of me facing my fears, a Counsellor seeking Counselling. As much as I hate it, it had to be done. As for helping, you already are just by listening and talking to me about it. For that I thank you.”

Monroe nodded. "No need to thank me, but your thanks are appreciated all the same. As I said earlier, senior medical officers are required to receive training in behavioral health strategies in the event there isn't a therapist available to fill that role. I'm not saying I could fill your shoes, but I've helped people work through a trauma or two, and if you're looking for more than a friendly ear, I have some strategies to offer if you're game?"

T’Mari nodded. “I’m game, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t willing to accept your help.”

Monroe replied,. "I know you said as much. I just wanted to ask again to make sure I wasn't overstepping. I'm happy to just be someone you can lean on if you change your mind, but if we're making this a more formal arrangement, it makes sense to start with some relaxation strategies. I wonder, have you been practicing any sort of grounding techniques when you're pulled back into these flashbacks?"

“I try meditation, but I’m not always successful with it” T’Mari offered a wry smile. “Practice makes perfect so I’m going to keep trying.”

"Meditation can be helpful as a general stress management strategy, but I wonder, when you practice this after experiencing flashbacks, might you be focusing too much on clearing your mind? Sometimes that can work against you and have the same effect as trying to push down all the memories and feelings."

“You’re right, I hadn’t thought of that myself.” T’Mari offered a wry smile. “Goes to show I’m not at the top of my game right now.”

“Like I said,” Kennedy replied, “it’s hard to see the nose on your own face. This has nothing to do with your skills as a counselor, just your inability to be yourself and your own counselor at the same time. I’d have equal trouble trying to be my own surgeon,” she added with a grin. “Some have said it helps them to imagine their thoughts as floating on the ends of strings attached to balloons as they meditate. The point is not to suppress incoming thoughts, but to acknowledge their existence and let them float across your mind so you can focus on the meditation.”

“That’s a unique perspective, I’ll have to try it” T’Mari smiled. “If it works I can recommend it to my patients. Thank you for this Kennedy I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Kennedy offered sincerely. “I think it would also make sense to talk about these two traumatic experiences with you in more detail, but for right now, I’d like to build up your coping skills to manage every day stress before we tackle that… Unless you think it would help to talk about it now?”

“I think perhaps working on my coping mechanisms would be useful” T’Mari smiled. “Plus I have some appointments soon, so I’ll have to get back. Thank you for everything Kennedy.”


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