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Post by mae00 on Feb 18, 2020 10:43:48 GMT -5
I still think that Gwen may have overstepped. However, it appears that she may not really know about Parker and Philip's history. It's easy to jump to conclusions based on what you've seen previously. And yes, kids who have lost a parent either through divorce or death are resentful of a new person. We know that Parker is obviously happy with Philip, but I'm not sure that Gwen and Philip are close enough for her to know the full story. Philip tends to keep things bottled up too.
She may have worded it wrong or she may not be sincere, who knows. What I do know is that that little boy needs some help. If Chloe wants to find someone else, fine. But don't stop Parker's sessions. Keep him seeing Gwen until you can find someone better. It sounds like they did make some really big steps in the first session. My son's first session didn't get that far. It took 2-3 sessions for him to fully open up about his feelings about the divorce and everything that was taking place. He was angry and didn't know what to do with all that anger.
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Post by fluffysmom on Feb 19, 2020 17:43:00 GMT -5
I'm glad that Gwen explained why she made those assumptions. I agree that Parker should continue with therapy but it's a good idea for Chloe to look into some other therapists.
I wonder if Chloe will tell Philip what Gwen said about him and Parker.
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Post by heroicmuse on Feb 20, 2020 8:08:04 GMT -5
Gwen may have made an assumption, but the therapeutic alliance is the most important aspect of therapy and it's clear she has a strong one with Parker already. Chloe should stop taking what Gwen says personally.
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 20, 2020 8:32:19 GMT -5
Chapter 12f
Chloe couldn’t decide if she thought Gwen was full of bull or if she was sincere.
“I can see you don’t trust me yet, and I understand that,” Gwen continued. “No one wants to see their child upset. But there’s a reason you brought him to me, and stopping the momentum will hurt him more than it hurts me. Deep down, we both want the same thing. We both want Parker to be secure and happy, right? But I need your buy-in, Chloe. This is only going to work if you’re on board. As Parker’s mother, you’re the most important person in his life and that makes you a critical part of this process. It can only work with your support. Give me two more sessions. Please. If you still don’t think I’m helping, you don’t have to come back after that.”
Chloe thought for minute. The truth was, she felt like she didn’t have a choice. She knew it wasn’t easy to find a therapist on the Key. And Philip worked with this woman. The last thing Chloe wanted to do was to make things uncomfortable for him. And the first thing she wanted to do was to see Parker contented again. “Okay. Fine. But only if Parker agrees.”
“Of course. Talk it over with Parker.”
Chloe turned to go, and stopped herself, remembering that she wanted to ask Gwen a question on Philip’s behalf. “Um. Can I ask you a professional question?”
“Certainly.”
“What does it mean if you have a recurring dream?”
“Are you having a recurring dream?”
“I’m just asking is all,” Chloe said flatly. Gwen didn’t need to know that Philip was the one having nightmares.
“Well, without knowing more about the circumstances, I can only speak in generalities. Recurring dreams usually means there’s something bothering you that you aren’t able to work out during your waking hours. Your subconscious is trying to work it out for you. And the fact that the dream keeps occurring typically means you haven’t been successful at resolving whatever it is that’s plaguing you.”
Chloe nodded slowly. “That’s more or less what I thought.” She nodded once more as a good-bye gesture. Then she opened the door and walked out of Gwen’s office.
In the waiting area, she said, “Ready to go, Angel?”
Parker nodded and handed Chloe back her phone. He took his mother’s hand and they walked out to the car.
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Post by sportsgirl on Feb 20, 2020 8:35:56 GMT -5
I am curious to see if Parker agrees or not.
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Post by mae00 on Feb 20, 2020 10:54:06 GMT -5
I'm hoping that Parker agrees to go back. And I'm glad that Gwen pointed out that stopping his therapy would hurt him the most.
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Post by heroicmuse on Feb 20, 2020 11:34:44 GMT -5
I hope Parker agrees to go back.
It is odd that there are such few therapists available. But that makes it even more important not to stop therapy prematurely.
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Post by André DiMera on Feb 20, 2020 12:01:25 GMT -5
Obviously stopping therapy would not be beneficial. Hopefully Parker will agree to keep going. Though I find it interesting that it is apparently hard to find a therapist where they live.
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Post by doolfan4life on Feb 20, 2020 12:51:53 GMT -5
I guess I’m in the minority
I’m not a fan of Gwen
Though Parker should get therapy I am not sure she’s a good fit and I get that it’s hard but surely she’s not the only person available
I also don’t agree with going to the wrong person over nothing
The wrong person IMO could do damage, and Gwen seems to have her own agenda
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 20, 2020 19:59:21 GMT -5
heroicmuse and André DiMera, and anyone else who's curious about why there aren't a lot of therapists on Marathon, here's why. Marathon, Florida is a city spread over a chain of islands, also known as Keys. It’s teeny. It’s about 9 miles in area and is surrounded by water. There are about 8,000 people who live there, but it’s mostly a tourist town, so the majority of people work in the hospitality industry or businesses that serve the hospitality industry. Lots of boating and fishing. AND, Philip’s house is on one of the keys, Marathon Key, so you can imagine how small it is. There are only a handful of psychiatrists/psychologists in Marathon and Gwen is the only one who has experience with children. There would be more professionals on the mainland, meaning Miami—which is the closest big city—but that’s 92 miles away. If Parker were older, a telephone session might work, but at his age, he needs a face-to-face.
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Post by doolfan4life on Feb 21, 2020 1:05:38 GMT -5
I’d be making the 92 mile drive just saying
I basically do that for my sons dr visits cuz the drs in our area aren’t adequate
In my experience the wrong dr does more damage than good (as in almost killed him literally) so I would treat a therapist the same way
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Post by fluffysmom on Feb 22, 2020 16:42:41 GMT -5
It's unfortunate that Chloe has few options for a therapist for Parker. Hopefully for Parker's sake Gwen will end up working out.
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 23, 2020 15:32:58 GMT -5
Thanks a million for reading and commenting, guys!
Coming up next on The Perfect Storm…
Chloe fills Philip in on Parker's session and her conversation with Gwen.
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Post by fluffysmom on Feb 23, 2020 20:25:37 GMT -5
Thanks a million for reading and commenting, guys! Coming up next on The Perfect Storm… Chloe fills Philip in on Parker's session and her conversation with Gwen. I'm looking forward to this. |
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Post by Kpatch on Feb 27, 2020 9:05:56 GMT -5
Chapter 13a
“How’d it go?” Philip asked as soon as Chloe walked through the door.
Before answering, Chloe said, “Parker, angel, why don’t you go watch TV upstairs while I get dinner ready?”
Philip waited until Parker reached the top step, before repeating, “So, how’d it go?”
Chloe crossed the room and set her purse down on the sofa. On a sigh, she said, “To be honest, not great.” When Philip raised his brows, she explained, “Parker seemed freaked out by it. I had some time to talk to Gwen alone and she says that—” Chloe hesitated for a moment, concerned about Philip’s feelings. But he had a right to know, so she continued. “She says Parker is still having a hard time dealing with Daniel’s death.”
“Really?”
“Well, that’s what she said, but it doesn’t feel right to me. I mean I haven’t seen any signs of that in years, especially not since we moved in with you. But who knows? I mean, she’s the professional, right? So maybe she sees something I don’t.” Chloe abruptly stopped talking.
“What is it?”
She walked to the kitchen counter and washed her hands in the sink. Philip watched her and waited.
“Chloe?” he said.
As she dried her hands on a dish towel, she said, “I … I’m not sure I trust Gwen.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I feel like she has an agenda and it isn’t necessarily about Parker’s best interest.”
“What do you mean?” Philip asked. But before Chloe could respond, he said, “Hey, I trust your instincts. If this doesn’t feel right, then don’t go back.”
“I appreciate that, honey, but she asked me to give her a chance. Three sessions.”
“Are you going to?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to keep an open mind. I mean, I want to do what’s right for Parker. I didn’t ask him too many questions on the way home because I wanted to give him a chance to process everything without adding my two cents. If he’s okay with seeing her again, then I’m willing to give her another try too. Besides, there’s your relationship with her. She’s a friend of yours, so—.”
“Colleague,” Philip corrected.
“Even so, I wouldn’t want this to create any awkwardness for you at your Coast Guard Reservist meetings.”
Philip approached Chloe and set his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t even let that cross your mind, sweetheart. That’s irrelevant. Parker needs to be comfortable with all this, and so do you.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said with a small smile.
“But…,” Philip interjected.
“But what?”
“If you do decide to quit Gwen,” he said, “I just want you to be sure it’s not because of your own feelings toward therapy. You said yourself that you were reluctant for Parker to start therapy.”
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