"A Meeting of the Minds"

Posted on 21 Jul 2012 @ 10:25pm by Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Lieutenant JG Brayden White Ph.D. & Commander Scarlet Blake

3,080 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo, Counseling Department Conference Room
Timeline: MD 07 -1600 hrs

ON:

Pulling up her blonde hair so she could pin it up in a tight clip, Delainey took a breath as she surveyed the small but well laid out conference room. Mentally counting the number of seats situated around the circular table, Carlisle was pleased to see all was in place for her first formal department meeting.

The set-up included a table just to the left of the room's entrance which displayed a variety of light snacks, to include pastry and fruit as well as treats she trusted the department yeoman to know the staff favored.

She was not one who favored a formal approach most of the time, but for this meeting she knew it was important to set a professional tone. Delainey was the newcomer, and though it was not her style to throw her weight around, she realized those who had been here longer than she had would want to be assured she could be trusted with the crew she was still getting to know.

The news that there were not one, but two counselors joining the crew from Starbase 152 had been enough to make Brayden want to click his heels and do a jig in the corridor. He was, frankly, overjoyed that there was anyone to share the load of the ship with, and while he did wonder what would happen to him with their arrival, he wasn't overly concerned about it. They could keep him on, or move him back to purely medical staff as he'd been when he'd first come on board, or dump him off at the next station. He'd always found a way to keep moving along; he anticipated he always would. So it was with a light step and a carefree grin that he followed the instructions from the memo to the conference room and popped his head inside. "Day to you," he greeted the room's only inhabitant, and offered her a hand. "Brayden White. Good to have you on board, really."

Carlisle clasped the other's hand warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I understand from the good doctor you've been helping to hold down the fort on the counseling front?"

"Well, I've been trying," he said with a half laugh. "Been an auxiliary counselor on Starfleet ships for years, but all my patients actually wanted to see me. Not since med school have I seen evaluation sessions like these. Dear Lord." He squeezed her hand with a wink as they shook and parted. It was a relief to be able to speak his mind for once. "Interesting people, though, they surely are."

Only a moment later, Scarlet moved in after the man she'd realised she'd half followed to the meeting. She gave a smile as she glanced around, taking the room in as the man finished speaking before moving further in, touching the back of a chair. "Scarlet Blake," she added with a soft laugh, shaking her head as she looked to Brayden. "I'm sorry, if I had realised we were going to the same place, I'd have caught you earlier."

Brayden turned over his shoulder and took her hand in turn. "And I," he agreed with a laugh of his own. He could have easily kissed both of them just for existing here on this ship. "Nice to see you here, Scarlet Blake. Brayden White," he pointed to himself and looked back to Delainey.

Scarlet shook his hand warmly. "Nice to meet you, Sir," she assured gently before looking to the woman. She clocked the rank pip and then finally recognised the face from the picture she'd seen of her new boss. She straightened slightly, more to attention than she had been, nodding with respect to her. "Ma'am."

Brayden nearly corrected her, as was his habit, to calling him by his name, but then remembered at the last second that for the moment he was stuck in the chain of command. Which meant it wasn't up to him to decide the formality of the meeting. Instead, he shoved a hand through his hair and dropped into a chair, plucking an apple from the bowl of fruit and biting in. "Breakfast," he explained as he swallowed and watched the new Chief Counselor expectantly.

Delainey smiled pleasantly and dismissed the formality with her hand. "I appreciate the deference, but when it's just us, feel free to call me Delainey, or Doctor, if first names make you uncomfortable. I know I hold the reigns here, but as I see it, you all help me steer. We're all professionals, and I'd like to think we can all relate to each other as such. There may be times when I need to be more formal, but I'm hoping not too many."

Carlisle sat and grabbed a doughnut for herself. "I'd like to get to know the two of you a bit better since you'll essentially be my senior staff. Feel free to share anything you like, but also be sure and tell me what you think your strengths are as a clinician and what you enjoy about your work. I'd like to do my best to match people to duties that fit our needs and your talents."

Brayden laughed as he swallowed his bite of apple. "We're your only staff, senior or not. Well. Us and Dru, once she's on her feet again." He idly scratched the back of his head, thinking. He'd never been good at blurbs. Especially not blurbs about himself. People were too complicated for that. Still, she had a right to know something about him, given she had to make the call on what to do with him from this point on. "Ah... shall I?" he asked, looking at Scarlet for permission to go ahead with his spiel. "Not sure entirely what sort of things you want to know, but I'll skip the stuff that's in my file as you probably know all that by now. Or will. Or can, if you choose. So... I surf? Not so much on the ship as there's an astounding lack of huge bodies of water out here. Da's a neuroscientist with a load of brain-oriented friends, which is how I came to be so charming and well-balanced. I've three kids, back on Earth with their mothers; brilliant, mad creatures they are. And I'm bloody grateful to have someone to share the load with here. I'm not all knowing and a few of these cases... well. It'll be good to have other opinions to source and a support network. I think we're all going to need it. You always do when the people matter, I guess, right?" That was enough for now, he figured, and took another bite of his apple, winking at Scarlet. "Your turn."

Scarlet gave a half smile at that, unsure if it was a turn she would be especially good at. Like Brayden, she wasn't particularly good at figuring out what to say about herself. "I was a psych officer over in the Marines before transferring across to the regular 'Fleet. It means I've dealt with a lot of post-trauma and stress, but I can obviously adapt to what is needed of me."

Delainey smiled as her eyes traveled to each of them. They were so different and yet each of them had ended up here, counselors aboard the Galileo. Brayden seemed friendly and his demeanor suggested he was someone who was quite comfortable in his skin.

Scarlet seemed equally capable, if the shine in her eyes was any indication of her intellect, but more reserved. Carlisle wondered if she detected a hint of defensiveness in her final statement that she was adaptable despite having dealt with her own stress and trauma.

"Thank you for sharing bits of the personal and the professional with me. It's only fair for me to return the favor. I had every intention of sticking with general medicine, and then the Dominon War began and I became more cognizant of the emotional wounds of war. I decided to earn a degree in emergency medicine and a doctoral degree in forensic psychology with a trauma therapy specialty. I realize there isn't much call for a forensic specialist here in the department, but I think I can use my research skills to explore the different species and races we encounter. Still, you will find I am a clinician first and foremost, so if either of you feel equipped to handle the xeno-psychological and cultural studies duties, let me know."

Scarlet nodded silently as she listened to the Chief. It wasn't often Chiefs or seniors offered so much of their own background, but it was helpful. Knowing where your boss was coming from helped a lot when it came to working with them. It sounded like she'd had a colourful past.

So there was going to be a level of give and take; that was good. The more they could open up to each other, the better precedent they'd set for the rest of the crew and the more they'd be able to accomplish as a team. It was clear there was a lot he could learn from both of them; as they'd each had very unique experiences. He wondered if he ought to have mentioned his medical credentials as well, but then remembered all that was in his file. She'd know if she wanted to. They weren't here to give their CVs, just to figure out where their common ground was.

Carlisle continued, "Now that introductions are over, I'd like to follow-up on something Brayden mentioned. Specifically, the issues you've run into with the psych evals. Will you elaborate on your concerns?" she asked, looking to the male therapist.

"That leads me to a question of my own, if you don't mind a small sidebar," he said. "How strictly are you planning to run the doctor/patient confidentiality clause in this department? Obviously, we report concerns to you, but do we," he said, indicating himself and Scarlet, "discuss patient strategy either specifically or non-specifically? I know the rules are different for in-house Starfleet counselors as opposed to auxiliary counselors; I just haven't been able to find a straight answer on the matter one way or the other."

"You're all professionals, and as far as I'm concerned, you're free to seek professional input from each other whenever you need to. Of course, it's important to limit the disclosure of information to that which is absolutely necessary, and I'd prefer you to limit these discussions to the office so we can't be accused later of using someone's problems to enliven conversation over dinner," Carlisle added with a grin. "I was planning on scheduling a weekly meeting to go over cases and concerns, and my door will always be open, so none of us should be out of the loop anyway. I figure any crewmember could potentially see any one of us at any time, so it's important we're all aware of at least the key issues. I will make it a point to read your notes each week, so if called upon, I can provide my assessments as well."

"Right," Brayden murmured and cracked his knuckles. "You asked about my concerns. We've got a quite a few crew members who are very antagonistic towards counseling in general and counselors in particular. Specifically, unfortunately, the Chief of Operations, who I suspect is using that antagonism to hide a deeper issue. And a couple young officers who have intense social anxiety. I've only been on the ship a couple days, so... obviously haven't had much time to delve into the causes." He shook his head, "I sent you my notes. Drusilla - she was the Chief Counselor before I came in - had already begun work with a few of our crew before she was taken to Sickbay and her notes were sparse." He picked up a slice of mango, moving it back and forth between his fingertips. "I don't know what she might have uncovered with any of them that might help us get to the root of things. We'll have to wait for her to be well enough to talk about it."

Delainey nodded. "I think the easiest thing is just to follow up directly with Dru's clients and see how they're doing. We can split them up amongst us. As for the crew's attitude toward the department, I'm not surprised. A dislike of mental health or medical professionals seems to be a virtual requirement anymore. Do you have reason to think any of the people resisting you are unfit? Also, while we're talking about it, Scarlet, how did you deal with people avoiding you and resisting your services? I imagine as a counselor working with Marines, you ran into similar issues?"

"I would not say I have found anyone 'unfit'. What I have found are behavioral patterns that could potentially cause problems for individuals and for the crew at large. That doesn't mean they will, necessarily; they haven't in the past, as far as I can tell from records. But there are issues that need to be dealt with for the well-being and safety of the whole. I would welcome your thoughts on those cases, when you're able to take some time with the notes. And..." Brayden scratched his chin lightly, "I think it may be important that I transfer Ensign Cho to one of you. She is having a very difficult time adjusting to the ship and she needs a friend. I think I could be more useful to her in that way than as a therapist, but she needs someone to objectively oversee her well-being as well."

"Understandable," Scarlet replied with a nod, a slight frown on her features, but only from thinking over what they had both said. "To be honest, I found it easiest with the Marines to just be firm and as blunt as they were. They were trained to respond to orders and authority. If you were authoritative, and made it clear that you weren't going to take their nonsense and that part of their orders as marine personnel was to get their head straight, it was surprising how many people would fall into line. I think they almost respected it sometimes," she shrugged lightly before giving a small smile. "Although, I have to admit, I have adopted a little lighter hand approach in the regular fleet, apart from where it seems it could help to be tough and blunt with someone."

"Maybe you'd be willing to take a look at Remington's file, then," Brayden offered, glancing at Carlisle. "I put him through the Vulcan aptitude test because he wasn't responding at all to my normal evaluation methods. But he didn't do well with that either... We need to see him in action with other crew members more, and specifically with his commanding officers. But if you've experience working in that sort of command structure..." He lifted his brows. "Maybe he'd respond better to you."

"Of course, whatever is useful," Scarlet gave a quick nod and a smile to him before looking to Carlisle. It had been a busy time, but it would feel good to jump back into the real work of what they were there to do. "If that's agreeable, of course?"

Carlisle held up her hands in a "Go with God" type gesture. "That works for me. If it's not working out, my door's open and you can always report progress at the next case conference. "As for Ensign Cho, I'd be happy to meet with her," she added, looking at Brayden, "but you might consider how going from her therapist to her friend will affect her. She's already put her trust in you as a therapist, and perhaps told you more in that role than she would have as her friend. If she's having difficulty understanding the boundaries to some degree already, it might be best not to confuse her further by changing the rules and the relationship on her. As friends, she'll be expected to support you just as you support her, and that might be awkward for both of you, given your prior relationship."

"I know that. I do," he added with a wince. "But the kid's... Floundering, emotionally. It's like she's magnetically sealed against positive reinforcement. She needs social interaction for stabilization, but she avoids it." He scrubbed his hands through his hair. "I don't know. I wanted to give her some hope was all. Here I've been telling her there are no quick fixes and I want to manipulate one anyway." He shook his head at himself.

"Why not just start slowly and let it develop naturally?" Scarlet suggested with a small smile. "A drink, a holodeck outing, and if you click and work as friends it works out at a natural pace, if not, then let it be."

Delainey nodded. "I've found honesty is the best policy. If she'd rather you remain her therapist, let her know that's fine with you. If she'd rather explore a friendship, you can let her know that's ok too. There are some potential pitfalls with switching roles, certainly, but those can be managed as well."

"I want her to have stability," Brayden sighed. "It's not that... I wouldn't posit the switch at all, except she has a particular kind of personality and a tendency to shove people away before they have a chance to come close. It's a defense mechanism, an obvious one, really, but..." He shrugged, "Maybe I'm jumping the gun. Maybe one of the new transfers will be willing to see past her eccentricities. Maybe I can coach her through some of her other stumbling blocks. I'll give it some time and see what I can do from where I am." He looked at Delainey, "Because you're right. She's already got a friend inherently in me, but I can't go asking her to shoulder any more responsibility." He slipped his PADD on to the table, "So. Shall I transfer those notes?"

Delainey nodded. "Absolutely." She looked to each of them. "If no one has anything else, same time next week?"

Brayden tapped his PADD twice, forwarding the binned session notes and truth scan responses to Carlisle. "Sounds like a plan. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts."

[OFF]
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Lt JG (Pr) Brayden White Ph.D.
Counselor
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Junior Grade Delainey Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo

Ensign Scarlet Blake
Counsellor
USS Galileo

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