Deja Vu

Authors

  • Alyce Oosterhuis The King's College

Abstract

The following short story represents one psychologist's attempt to describe in narrative form what can occur when we find ourselves wanting to "rescue" our clients. This narrative is an example of the oft-described dictum that one cannot be a professional counsellor to friends. However, the story tells more than that. More than anything else, it illustrates that, for our clients, the obstacles to psychological healing can be our own perceptions and expectations of their eventual recovery. After four years of visiting with a friend who was incapacitated by anxiety and depression, this psychologist's expectations for a slow reconstruction of healthy coping skills created an evening of mishap. The patient is doing fine; the doctor has some things on which to work now.

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Section

Short Stories