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

Chapter 89 Why does this visitor seem like he's here for me?
Howard did suggest that Nan Zhuren lie about his age, for example, he could round it up to "30 years old", or at the very least, "28 years old" or "27 years old".

At least it sounds more plausible than "24 years old".

But Nan Zhuren refused.

A good therapeutic relationship between a counselor and a client needs to be built on trust. Lying about one's age from the beginning is tantamount to planting a time bomb.

Is this client the type who is bothered by the therapist being too young?

Nan Zhuren observed the visitors' reactions.

Upon hearing Nan Zhuren's age, the other person smiled.

“We’re the same age, Teacher Nan.”

[This reaction, is it... joy?]

Okay, visitors have all sorts of needs, which is understandable.

"What should I call you?"

“My friends all call me ‘Xuanxuan’.”

The voice sounded muffled, and Nan Zhuren sensed something was wrong.

Nan Zhuren waited for two or three breaths, but the visitor did not speak.

He was about to say something to steer the conversation.

The next second, Xuanxuan's shoulders started twitching and her nose started twitching.

Then, a tear began to flow down the side of Nan Zhuren's face that he could see.

【Um? 】

Crying during a consultation can be a good thing.

However, if it happens at the very beginning of a consultation, that's not necessarily the case.

This is especially true when the counselor has little understanding of the client and the counseling relationship has not yet been established.

Nan Zhuren pursed his lips; this might be a high-level match.

……

The visitor's crying did not seem to be deepening and remained at the level of "sobs".

After waiting for about a minute, I saw that the visitor's mood began to gradually improve.

Nan Zhuren adjusted her expression to one of concern, leaned forward, and silently handed the tissues on the table toward the visitor, moving them to a position where the visitor could see them even if they were looking down.

Tissues are an essential item in the consultation room, just like sofas and wall clocks, specifically for dealing with this situation.

"Thank you."

The visitor said sullenly, taking out a tissue and gently wiping his cheeks and the corners of his eyes.

Her delicate makeup was slightly smudged as a result, but it didn't look bad; instead, it had a kind of broken beauty.

"I'm sorry, Professor Nan," the visitor said, "I'm having some trouble controlling myself."

Nan Zhuren gently shook her head, offering support: "No matter why you cried, you don't need to apologize. I'm actually glad that the counseling room provides you with a place where you can relax and release your emotions."

The visitor looked up and smiled; her features were indeed exquisite.

Nan Zhuren was finally able to see the other person's expression for the first time during the consultation.

[Fear and cowering; it seems they really did encounter something.]

But... there's something else.

"No, that's actually not good." After laughing, the visitor looked distressed.

“I’m sure I’ve caused you some trouble…maybe I shouldn’t have come for counseling today.”

As he spoke, the visitor glanced at Nan Zhuren, stood up, and prepared to leave.

But perhaps the accumulated fatigue within her had reached a breaking point, and the next second her body swayed. Nan Zhuren quickly stood up, raised her hand in a gesture of reassurance, and helped the visitor sit down again.

“Don’t be bothered. You can say or do whatever you want in the consultation room,” Nan Zhuren said. Sensing the client’s unfamiliarity, he asked, “Is this your first time doing psychological counseling?”

The visitor sat down, hunched over, and crossed his arms: "Yes. To be honest, before coming here, I thought several times about whether to cancel this consultation."

As she spoke, she lowered her arms and wiped her calves, saying, "It's a little cold."

[He's making a lot of small movements, and he's been pulling and tugging repeatedly... towards me?]

Nan Zhuren stood up, picked up a blanket from the shelf next to her, and handed it to the visitor.

"Thank you."

The visitor wrapped himself in a blanket, covering his upper body, but still left half of his shoulder exposed, curling up like a cat.

“I really don’t know if I should have come,” she said again.

Nan Zhuren offered another word of support: "You had the idea of ​​seeking psychological counseling, you made an appointment for counseling, and after much hesitation, you finally chose to sit here."

"That means there really is a problem bothering you, and you absolutely 'should' come over."

Nan Zhuren leaned back on the sofa, her hands clasped in front of her: "May I know what the question was about when you made the appointment for the consultation?"

The visitor lowered his head: "Would you like to hear the simple version, or the complete version?"

"To put it simply—my life is over."

It's somewhat like the "terrible" belief in cognitive problems.

Nan Zhuren frowned slightly in his heart, but it was not easy to make a direct judgment.

The visitor has so far seemed very passive to Nan Zhuren. She doesn't actively provide any useful information, yet she's not completely defensive either. It's like she's playing the pipa while partially concealing her face, occasionally revealing information to entice Nan Zhuren to dig deeper.

This is the type of person who needs a counselor to talk to them a lot.

Nan Zhuren cooperated for a moment: "That seems a bit too simplistic. I might need to hear the 'complete' version."

The visitor wiped her eyes with a tissue again and again: "I made an appointment for consultation the day before yesterday. I had just had a fight with my boyfriend at that time."

"—Let's have a big fight."

“He was yelling at me, and I was screaming too; we could barely hear what the other was saying.”

The visitor sniffed once, then stopped.

[The fear is consistent with the emotions expressed when crying—could it be due to domestic violence?]

Nan Zhuren continued the conversation to prevent a pause: "What did you argue about?"

He proposed to me.

Nan Zhuren blinked.

"It wasn't really a proposal, but rather a discussion about our marriage. This isn't the first time this has happened."

The visitor was finally opened up and began to actively elaborate on the events.

“We’ve been together for two years, and he’s been talking about marriage ever since last year, over and over again. The time the day before yesterday, his attitude was particularly strong, like he was issuing an ultimatum: if we don’t get married, we’ll break up.”

Nan Zhuren pressed for details: "You've discussed this many times before, and the results were always the same?"

The visitor nodded: "Yes, I refused them all."

"why?"

"He said he loved me, loved me very, very much, but I don't think so."

Nan Zhuren asked, "Did he say or do anything to make you feel that he 'doesn't love you very much'?"

The visitor thought for a moment and said, "He is thirty years old, six years older than me. I think he just feels that he is at the right age and wants to get married and have children as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)