It was a sunny afternoon, and Pam was home alone, while Will was at work. She had found out about a psychotherapist, named Dr. Stewart Thomas, through her co-worker who was planning on going into the mental health field. He had an office, but also did therapy sessions in people's homes. Pam had scheduled an appointment with him on the telephone, and was about to meet him for the first time.
She didn't tell Will anything about the therapist and she didn't plan to. She felt like she wanted to do something on her own, without telling others. She saw it this way: 'I struggle on my own, so I'm gonna find a solution on my own.' She scheduled the therapy session for an hour after the time Will usually took his lunch break. She didn't want to risk him coming home during the session.
Pam was dressed in a short-sleeved, dark green mini dress. She wore matching flat green shoes.
She placed two bottles of water on the coffee table, then, there was a gentle knock on the door.
She walked to door and opened it to greet Dr. Thomas. He was way younger than she had imagined. He had a happy face, one of those people who could bright up a room. He was good-looking too. His skin was brown like peanut butter, and he wore a suit, and had a red rose in his hand.
"Hello, Pamela."
"Hi, Doctor Thomas. Come on in."
He walked in, and smiled. "You have a beautiful home," he said.
"Thank you."
Pam motioned for him to sit. He handed her the rose, then he sat down.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he responded.
She sat down across from him, with the rose in her hand.
Dr. Thomas spoke, "As you can see, I didn't come here with a briefcase. I don't want to write down anything, unless you wish otherwise. I want our conversations to be natural. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything that you feel affects your mental health."
Pamela smiled. "Thank you. There's a bunch of different things that affects me. Some things I can't even explain. It's like I'm aware that I overthink, but I just can't stop. I struggle with anxiety. I struggle with depression. Oftentimes, I feel so insecure. It has caused issues in my relationship. I've just recently given up drinking. It got to a point where my husband would find me so drunk that I couldn't move. Since I've given up the alcohol, I've felt a little better, but I'm still not where I need to be. Like, why does this happen?"
Dr. Thomas responded, "A lot of people struggle with mental illness. Some people have an underlying cause. For example, it can be due to a traumatic experience. However, there are many people who don't know what causes them to feel the way they do. That sometimes can be very difficult to overcome. The main goal is acceptance. Accepting things that can't be changed. It sounds hard, but with time and intervention, it can be achieved. I can see that you have a lot of potential, Pamela."
They spoke for about two hours.
When the session ended, Pamela walked him to the door. "Thank you so much, Doctor Thomas. This meant a lot to me," she said.
He smiled and shook her hand. "You're welcome. You can call me any time," he said.
Pam smiled, then closed the door after he walked away. Mrs. Stevens had seen Dr. Thomas enter and leave. She was curious about who he was.
Pam had placed the rose on the coffee table, and forgot she had left it there. She walked upstairs and changed into some comfortable clothing, a white tank top and pink silk pajama pants.
