Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 59 Cutting off the stressor

It was unclear when, but Nan Zhuren's expression had become so serious that it was hard to describe.

Chen Ting's narration continues.

"At first, he just got a little closer. Later, he started touching my arms, shoulders, legs, waist, and so on..."

“I applied for the independent admission program for the law department, and he started telling me about cases. Then, over a period of time, he began to involve more and more cases related to sexual crimes.”

"I felt uncomfortable, but because I was studying, I didn't think too much about it."

"Until the last time he came, he just hugged me and kissed me..."

"He said he knew I was a smart and well-behaved girl the first time he saw me..."

"After giving me lessons, he liked me more and more..."

Nan Zhuren clenched his back teeth.

In fact, after working as a counselor for a long time, many counselors will face two important problems: loss of empathy and emotional exhaustion.

The ability to empathize is lost because we've seen and experienced too much.

Many newly graduated counselors may be able to empathize with a breakup and furrow their brows and fill with tears when they hear about it; but after working for five or ten years, even when they hear about domestic violence, they may only have the reaction of "It's nothing new."

Emotional exhaustion is similar. When a client encounters too many things and witnesses too much of the dark side of human nature, it becomes difficult for the therapist to be moved to emotional fluctuations by the client.

But what Nan Zhuren heard today is something no counselor can ignore.

Even though she already had some suspicions, Nan Zhuren still needed to take a deep breath to keep herself calm and prevent any major fluctuations in her expression or tone of voice so that the consultation could continue.

Chen Ting continued speaking.

“I was terrified. I screamed and pushed him away. I told him there were security cameras in the house, and he was scared. But he still came the next day.”

Chen Ting's voice trembled as if she were standing on a cliff: "It's like... it's like nothing happened..."

When they arrived at this point, Chen Ting stopped.

Nan Zhuren tried hard to calm his tone, making it soothing:

Do Mom and Dad know about this?

"I don't know, I didn't tell them..."

"……Why?"

“Because, because,” Chen Ting said, “I want to go to the law department of Jiangdu University through the independent enrollment program.”

She had been sobbing and stammering during her previous narration, but here her tone suddenly became resolute, as if she were telling someone about something of paramount importance.

Nan Zhuren suddenly remembered a post she had seen a few days ago, titled: "That year in my senior year of high school, I thought about jumping off a building but never thought about dropping out of school."

"So he continued to teach you afterwards."

"Yes, he... didn't lay a hand on me again, but when he spoke, he would always test me from time to time."

Chen Ting pursed her lips: "I think as long as I get into university, that's all that matters. Then, when I did get in, my parents were very grateful to him, saying that I had troubled them, thanking him for taking care of them, saying that he did well in class, and that they would ask him for help again if they had any friends in the future."

Nan Zhuren couldn't help but purse her lips.

“At first I thought that everything would be fine once I got into university, but now my mother has contacted him again. He wants to be my university tutor, and there are still four years to go.”

"He said he would guide my thesis, help me with projects, and take me on business trips and abroad to attend forums and conferences. Four years is a long time, take it slow..."

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath to calm his tone:

"You didn't tell your parents before because you thought it would all be over once you got through the college entrance exam. But things are different now. This has no end in sight. Have you thought about telling your parents yet?"

Chen Ting bit her lip until obvious teeth marks appeared on it.

"I don't want to tell them."

"why?"

“If I tell you, I might get expelled.”

Chen Ting's eyes filled with tears: "Teacher Wang, Wang An, he said he studied law himself, and he was very careful not to leave me any evidence. He told me a lot about the school's rules and relevant legal provisions, saying that if I told my parents, it wouldn't help, and I would only get myself into trouble and be expelled because I couldn't produce evidence..."

"I can't drop out of school. I want to finish my studies and graduate from the law department of Jiangnan University..."

"I was thinking about whether I could find a way to avoid him and get through this. But, but, lately I really feel like I can't do it anymore..." Chen Ting looked up with teary eyes: "Teacher Nan, what should I do?"

This was the first time in a long time that Chen Ting had taken the initiative to ask Nan Zhuren for help.

For the first time, she personally sought advice from Nan Zhuren.

This is a major breakthrough in psychological counseling.

If it weren't for Chen Ting's explanation, Nan Zhuren might have felt overjoyed about this breakthrough.

Now, his face is solemn.

Nan Zhuren tried to speak in a calm tone, saying slowly, "I told you before that your situation is related to stress. It seems that you are still in a stressful situation."

"Based on your current self-experience, I would prefer to use [systematic desensitization therapy]."

"This therapy uses a tiered relaxation approach, gradually bringing you closer to the stimulus you fear. As the stimulus that triggers your fear appears, I will train you to make a response that inhibits fear and anxiety. Through this response, the conditioned association between the stimulus and anxiety is weakened and eventually severed until the fear of the stimulus is completely eliminated."

Informed consent from the client is an indispensable right, and the counselor needs to communicate fully with the client regarding the counseling plan.

The specific plans to be used and their effects need to be explained to the visitors and their consent obtained.

Chen Ting stared at Nan Zhuren with her eyes open, not moving an inch.

"However, I have a suggestion before proceeding with the system desensitization."

"What advice?"

Nan Zhuren slowly said, "Since it's a stress-related issue, then cutting off the stressor is the simplest, most direct, and most effective method."

Chen Ting looked on with a bewildered expression, tears welling up in her eyes, but she forgot to let them fall.

"How...how do I cut it off?"

……

Nan Zhuren was about to speak.

Suddenly, a series of noisy sounds came from outside the door.

Even though the consultation room was soundproofed, you could still clearly hear sounds coming in from outside.

"Tingting?"

"Tingting—"

"Tingting!"

The tears that had been welling up in Chen Ting's eyes suddenly streamed down her face.

She recognized the voice.

"It's mom!"

"What should I do? What should I do? It's Mom! How did she know I was here?!"

"what to do?!"

Even without micro-expression analysis, the body visibly conveys anxiety and fear.

Nan Zhuren took a deep breath, knowing he was in trouble.

He lowered his voice and tried to soften his tone as much as possible: "Chen Ting."

It was as if a large hand had passed through her body to soothe her turbulent heart, and Chen Ting suddenly fell silent.

Still anxious, still fearful.

But she blinked her eyes and stopped.

Looking at Nan Zhuren.

It was like grasping at a straw.

Nan Zhuren also looked at Chen Ting.

"Chen Ting, listen to me..."

(End of this chapter)