I'm Letting Go [Sean]

[Kimmy Abernathy]

Kimmy glanced down at the smooth paper map in her hand and looked around her, searching for the office of a Dr. Sean Neville. She had arrived in Vermont earlier that day, feeling mixture of anxiety, excitement, curiosity, and pure exhaustion from jetlag. It was her first time in the United States, and there were many little things that were different from Ireland - the size of everything from roads to buildings, the driving on the right side of the road, the omnipresent accent of the northeastern U.S. Those little things, combined with her aloneness and fatigue, made everything seem slightly surreal. She hadn't been alone of course - a Hammel agent had been at the airport to pick her up - but there was no one that she had any personal connection to, which was alien and strange (and frightening, if she was honest with herself).

Kimmy's parents and psychiatrist at Ireland had stressed how vital it would be for zir to establish a relationship with Dr. Sean Neville at Hammel, saying it was necessary to have a working relationship with someone who had the training to deal with zir mental issues in case they became too intense. Zir psychiatrist had given him a glowing review and assured zir that ze would feel totally safe with him. Unfortunately, all that zir Kocher friends had had to offer zir were rumors about the doctor - that he read minds, that he was an Empath, that he was Telekinetic. The rumors pretty much ran the gamut of all the different mind-related powers. Well, at least I know what kind of power he has? I do hope it's not Telepathy, I would hate to trigger someone with my obsessive thoughts... Ze reassured zirself that, whatever his power was, he would be able to handle it because he had been trained for the position. Besides, there would be some advantages if he had Telepathy, especially if there was something ze needed to express but couldn't find the words for.

She tracked down the office soon enough, and knocked gently on the door so as not to disturb him. "Dr. Neville?" she called out softly in a strong Irish accent. She vaguely wondered how far in depth they would go in this meeting, or if it would be quick and cordial to make sure he got all of her files.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

While Sean opened files on all incoming students, just in case – and he tried to meet with many of them, there were some students who necessitated introductory meetings with him. These weren’t students that he flagged for introductory meetings, but ones whose files necessitated the establishment of a professional relationship. Any student who had ongoing mental health care before coming to Hammel found their way into the psychiatrist’s office soon after arrival.

As such, the moment that Kimmy’s rather extensive file had crossed his desk, Sean knew that he would need to meet with her, and he prearranged their first encounter. Between her official diagnosis, her powers, and her past history with their meta-human European sister school, he had extensive notes to make, and he wanted to establish a connection quickly.

Fortunately, for both Kimmy’s sake and his own, Sean had decades-worth of experience with other empaths. He had also treated many people for OCD over the years, and had maintained friendships with others whom he did not treat (such as James Campbell).

The psychiatrist had prepared his office in anticipation of the meeting, and he had her records transferred into his newly-created file. Upon hearing the knock, coupled with her voice and an unfamiliar mental presence, he called out, “Please come in and make yourself comfortable.”

[Kimmy Abernathy]

At the sound of the doctor's voice, Kimmy opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it gently behind her. The office was neat, everything put in its place with one file set in front of Dr. Neville. He himself was a somewhat tall - though his height was probably a bit less pronounced when he was sitting down - middle-age man who had a calm, open air about him. The reading she got on his emotions seemed to confirm that. There was no surprise or panic at her presence, so apparently he had been expecting her and had prepared for their meeting as much as he felt he needed to.

Kimmy sat down in a chair in front of him, offering him a friendly smile. Ze had prior experience with therapists and psychologists, given that ze had been seeing one for over a year. Zir experiences had overall been good, since the doctor ze had been seeing specialized in meta-human psychiatric conditions, and zir Empathy had interacted with zir OCD in a particularly toxic manner. However, he was both cis and hadn't had much experience (and no special training) in dealing with trans patients, so there were large swaths of zirself and zir history that ze just didn't feel like ze could discuss with him while being fully listened to or understood. He was perfectly accepting, but there was only so much he could do for zir while he didn't really understand that. Ze planned to ask Dr. Neville about his prior experience in dealing with trans patients, especially trans female and non-binary patients, but thought ze would wait a moment to bring it up. That is, unless he had already read zir mind and knew the question.

Come to think of it, how was one supposed to think and act around someone who they weren't sure was Telepathic? Uh... Welcome to my mind, I guess? If you can even read it? she thought, feeling rather silly.

"Did you get all the files you need?" she asked, deciding it was best to check in on that first.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean offered Kimmy a welcome smile when ze entered, and then he waited for her to become settled. They could proceed at whatever pace made her comfortable, since the psychiatrist had reserved a long bloc of time for her.

He then overheard the thought regarding the potential that he was telepathic. Which he was, and that would come up in conversation in due time. He wouldn’t judge Kimmy for zir thoughts, and he also would maintain as many boundaries as possible, particularly when waiting for her to become comfortable. Sean could confirm his powers as the meeting progressed.

The psychiatrist nodded affirmatively in response to the question. “I believe so. The medical release gave me access to all of your records, and I was given copies of your training notes and academic transcript.” All of those went into the comprehensive file that Sean kept on students, with the medical and psychiatric notes under particular lock and key as they were in his possession with highest confidentiality. He gestured at the file on his desk, before returning his full attention to her.

“How are you getting settled?” He needed to balance her ability to grow comfortable and ask questions at her own pace with his need to ask assessment questions. So, after what could be viewed as small talk, they could move on to heavier subjects.

[Kimmy Abernathy]

“I believe so. The medical release gave me access to all of your records, and I was given copies of your training notes and academic transcript,” Sean said, gesturing to the file before him. Kimmy nodded in relief. All of those would be needed to untangle the puzzle of her mind, her illness, because of how interconnected everything was. Her training notes revealed how little focus she had put on learning to control her power, which had made everything worse. In the past, Kimmy's grades had been closely connected with her state of mind - when there was a notable drop in grades, something was significantly wrong in her life. It had happened when she first faced her dysphoria and came out to herself, and when she... well, last spring. The memories were slightly easier to face than they had been before, but still incredibly painful.

"I got my room assignment, though I still have to meet everyone. I'm hoping to look around the town more soon." Other questions occured to zir to ask Sean: Would medication help? Where can I go when I get overwhelmed and need to get away from people? Ze held off for the moment, waiting to see what Sean would ask of zir next.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean took his job seriously, and he had decades of experience, and thus he did as much work in preparation of transfers as possible. If he noticed any glaring omissions from her records, he would contact those most likely to have the missing documents – long before meeting with Kimmy for the first time.

From what he had gleaned from her files, the psychiatrist had a good indication of where she was, as of the moment of her transfer. He certainly had detailed notes and records regarding where Kimmy had been at the low-point prior to her transfer, and he knew that there remained progress to be made. That was, in part, the point of today’s introductory session: in addition to making an initial connection, they could establish their baseline in order to progress in the future.

“Once you’re settled, I’m sure you’ll be able to explore Pilot Ridge. It’s small enough to see in a day or two.” Students went off-campus frequently, so she could easily find a group with whom to explore.

Sean overheard the questions, and he would wait until she asked the verbally. There remained a pace to which to adhere. Which began with another question of his, although it was a segue into her questions. “To properly introduce myself, I’m Doctor Sean Neville. I’m the only psychiatrist here, and so I handle all clinical sessions.” Which did go to the topic of medications, albeit in a roundabout way. “I’m here to answer all questions so we can establish a routine.”

[Kimmy Abernathy]

Kimmy nodded as Sean spoke. She was considering exploring the town alone. While she was new and needed to form connections, she also craved the solitude. She wouldn't mind exploring with people she knew if she made those connections, but it was by no means necessary.

“To properly introduce myself, I’m Doctor Sean Neville. I’m the only psychiatrist here, and so I handle all clinical sessions.” To Kimmy it seemed like a lot to handle, but apparently he was able to do it. “I’m here to answer all questions so we can establish a routine.” Kimmy nodded, thinking about what questions to ask and what she should wait to ask. Ze still wasn't sure if he wanted this to be a clinical session or not, or if he wanted zir to decide that.

"What sort of schedule did you have in mind? Weekly, biweekly, monthly?" she began. Might as well get logistics out of the way before asking heavier questions. She waited for his response, then tentatively asked, "Can I ask you something, Sean?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“To begin, I’d like to do weekly sessions,” Sean explained. Given the events in her file and her official diagnosis, the psychiatrist thought it best to maintain weekly sessions while they learned about one another and built a rapport. Once they had reached that stage, Sean was willing to do a reassessment, to see if they could reduce the frequency of their sessions to biweekly. Given previous events, he didn’t think that monthly sessions would manifest for quite a while, if at all before her graduation.

At the preliminary question (an inquiry to ask the actual question), he nodded in affirmation. “Yes, you may. But it’s ‘Doctor Neville,’ or ‘Doc,’ if you want to be informal. I don’t have a preference between the two.” The psychiatrist was gentle as he spoke, since Kimmy had no prior knowledge of him or his insistence on decorum. However, while he wanted to be a resource to the students, while he wanted to be available to help them in any way that he could, he needed to maintain professional boundaries with them. He didn’t want them to have peer expectations to which he couldn’t conform.

With that, he gave Kimmy his undivided attention. “What would you like to ask?”