Counsellors carry a special burden. Day in and day out, they sit with stories of violence, rape, child abuse, and trauma. They hear it all. It’s their job to listen — to absorb the darkest corners of human experience — and retain a professional smile all the while.
But how does a sane person stay sane after years of this punishment? How does someone dip a foot into another person’s corrupted world without losing their own sense of normal? Take Tony Brindell, a counsellor who has heard enough horror to break most people. These days, almost nothing surprises him. He’s experienced it all.
Sure, there are the everyday complaints. The petty domestic grievances, the small frustrations people bring to therapy. But after sitting with someone who has been abused since childhood, those problems must sound thin, even trivial. It would take discipline not to feel cynical.
Counsellors are expected to remain balanced, neutral and empathetic while maintaining professional distance. It’s a high-wire act that requires constant self-awareness. To help with this, counsellors undergo regular peer assessments. Every six months or so, another trained professional checks their mental health and emotional stability, ensuring they haven’t drifted too far into the trauma they encounter daily. The aim is to keep both counsellor and client safe.
But then a simple question arises: when was the last time a counsellor was actually deemed unfit and removed from practice?
No one can remember.
Aside from normal retirements from the profession, Tony admits that no one has been relieved of their duties. Not while he’s been a counsellor.
That could mean the system works absolutely brilliantly. Or it could mean it fails spectacularly. After years of exposure to extreme trauma, what does “normal” even look like anymore? If two counsellors — both shaped by the same abuse stories — are assessing one another, what standard are they using?
They tell each other they’re fine. And when one begins to crack, the other, equally worn down, may not see the breakages because they have their own to bear. It’s a new kind of normal.
So who counsels the counsellor?
Someone just as human.
Someone who is just as blind.
And someone damaged, who has no direction but still looks the part.
–Michael (Dark fiction. Author of SEETHINGS (the first book), free for a limited time)
SEETHINGS promises a gripping psychological thriller that blends murder, passion, and secrets of a sexless marriage. Forman’s vivid prose draws readers into a world where lightning illuminates the skies and hidden truths. As the storm clouds gather, Mitchell’s journey promises to unravel more than just the mystery of the murders.
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