Chief Counselor's Log #3 - Easing Sorrows

Posted on Sun Jan 29th, 2017 @ 2:50pm by Lieutenant Commander Marit Lantry M.D., Ph.D.

I had hoped the Colonel's guilt would have eased by now, but it seems when it rains, it pours. Just when I believed S’er’en’e was starting to come to terms with and forgive himself for the actions he took when he and the Captain were stranded, a woman known as the Overseer has arrived, and it would seem she is determined to destroy any shred of self-respect he has. On some level, I know it's unfair to judge someone from another culture, especially one I have yet to meet, but on an emotional level, fairly or otherwise, I find myself disliking the woman. Rationally, I know I should meet her and get her side of things, but based on what the Colonel has told me, she sees him as a weak being who has been stripped of not just his cultural identity, but also his biological instincts. In short, she believes Starfleet has dulled him and taught him to be ashamed of his identity. Worse than that, he has told me that he has been ordered to undergo training of some sort, and if he doesn't complete that to the Overseer's satisfaction, she will recall him back to the home world.

Naturally, this is the last thing he needs given his current crisis of conscience, and I fear no matter what I say or what he may truly believe deep down that is remotely healthy, he will convince himself she is right. I wouldn't be bothered if he ultimately decided to return home, but I can't stand the idea that in the process, he will believe he is somehow less than other members of his species. As a therapist, I know I can't impose my point of view or values upon him, but I have made every effort to help him distinguish between what it means to adapt his behavior to achieve goals that are personally meaningful and what the Overseer sees as almost some sort of brainwashing or discrimination on our part. I have tried to explain that everyone adapts their behavior to fit certain social situations, that such personal awareness is a sign of sophistication, not denigration. Even now the Overseer has to temper her behavior in ways she wouldn't if she were back on her home world, and to me, that makes her a polite Caitian, not a nonexistent one. I know intellectually, I have to accept that whatever happens is out of my hands, but it certainly doesn't make it any easier.

On a brighter note, I am pleased to report a new counselor has joined the department, a Lieutenant JG Adona. I have a meeting with her later today, so I will have an opportunity to get to know her personally beyond what I've read in her personnel file, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about her current fitness for duty. From what I've read, this is her first assignment since she was rescued from the Borg. Apparently, she was the lone survivor from her very first posting, and when she was found, she underwent extensive medical procedures during the de-assimilation process. I know Starfleet Medical has come a long way to address the medical needs of previously assimilated Borg since Captain Jean Luc Picard went through it many years ago, but as is often the case with such things, the emotional and psychological wounds have proven more difficult to remedy. From what I remember in her file, Adona's marriage didn't survive the aftermath and her ex-husband and child are living elsewhere. That's a hell of a blow to contend with, and no matter how extensive the rehabilitation process, this being her first assignment back, there are bound to be some wounds that still need healing. I only hope I can communicate my genuine concern in a way that conveys I'm not just looking out for the crew, but for her as well.