Spin Doctor by Leslie Carroll Read Free Book Online Page B

steadily on client’s self-esteem issues, though, and explore abandonment issues as they relate to her recent divorce, termination from the Martha Graham company, and fear of losing her job at City Ballet. Must steer discussion toward mother’s damaging negativity and help Talia recognize and accept that her mother lacks the tools in her bag of tricks to ever make Talia feel worthy, and to encourage client to accept that this is her mother’s bundle of issues, not client’s.
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    Amy Baum: New client. Needs to focus on letting go of her anger. Session helpful in that she acknowledged that she could use some domestic relief to help reduce the stress of caring for anewborn. I need to work with her on helping to find solutions to this dilemma, rather than looking to assign blame for her predicament.
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    Me: I should speak to Eli about his forgetting our anniversary instead of imploding about it. Ditto his increasing absence from the dinner table and two A.M . arrivals home. As much as I found Amy Baum’s anger somewhat off-putting, I can relate to her situation perhaps more than I can to my other laundry room clients’ presenting complaints, except perhaps for Talia, in that she’s a dancer—enjoying a degree of success in the field I had to forego.
    I empathize with the eating disorder issues as well. Last week a health center client asked me point-blank why I became a psychotherapist. While my first response had something to do with wanting to make the world a better place, my client actually challenged me and said, “No— really. ” I told her about my experiences as a dance student in college, the related body image issues that led to my bulimia; and how, when I switched from a dance major into the psych program, I faced and overcame my fears of science classes—the frightening specters of courses like neurophysiology and biochem. I wanted to understand and then make sense of the emotional and psychological causes and effects of my illness.
    But back to my issues with Eli: rather than dealing with the issue head-on, I’m stewing in resentment over his behavior and letting it affect my mood, my appetite, and my sleep, as well as my sessions on occasion (for example when there’s an emotional trigger, such as when Faith came right out and said Eli should pamper me.)
    Also must focus on better management of my time, so Ian doesn’t arrive late to his auditions. That’s potentially sabotaging my son. What’s that about?
    Consider taking dog to vet for incontinence problem. Or is he acting out too? While I’m an obvious proponent of psychotherapy, I think pet shrinks are as faddish as pet rocks. Perhaps Sigmund just needs a refresher course from the obedience trainer.
    Consider sending Molly for obedience training if she doesn’t stop cutting classes.
    Progress? If progress is a measure of success, I’m not a very shining example these days. In fact, I feel more like a hamster on a wheel. Do hamsters ever wish they could actually go somewhere?

3
    MERIEL
    â€œI don’t like de sound of daht cold, Susie. A summah cold is a bad ting,” Meriel said in the lilting Jamaican cadences that always make me crave a mai-tai. I adore the music of her voice. It has a way of relaxing and warming me like the sun on an early spring morning. “I studied nursing, you know, back in Jamaica, but sick people make me unhappy; too much for de emotions, you know. I don’t have de tick skin you need to be a nurse. Did you try my remedy?”
    â€œYou mean the warmed rum, honey, and whole cloves?”
    â€œDaht’s de one,” smiled Meriel proudly. “An old fahmily recipe. Guarantee to knock out anyting!”
    â€œIt knocked out me! “I told her. “I drank a cup of it at around nine P.M ., and the next thing I knew Ian was telling me he needed a permission slip signed before he left for school that morning. And I’ve still