HOLY COW!

Well as Tom Slick says, "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it!" Today was a doozie! Fasten your seat belts, this happens maybe a few times a year - thank God.

A client came in today who had voices telling them to kill themself. As a licensed clinician I have to take this very seriously. I interviewed the person, the Psychiatrist interviewed the person, and our nurse interviewed the person, the verdict - they needed hospitalization. The next step is explaining this to the client however, there are a few people that "Can not handle the truth." This was our client's sentiments. Needless to say when the ambulance drivers, rolled the gurney into the room the client reacted. Not a little bit - A LOT!!

As a clinician, I try to bond with people, give them so tools to use and try to look out for their best interests. When the sh.. hit the fan, all the therapuetic mumbo jumbo from an hour earlier is not only tossed on the floor, but stomped on as well. What a shame. This person went through a torturous life and needed to address the inconceivable events they suffered through. I have full faith in my particular brand of psychotherapy but after the reaction - which got even worse, it was now out of my hands and into somebody else's who I hope has comperable training - but I'm not too sure of it.

As the dance continued - the dance of "how on earth are we getting this person to sit on the gurney and get straped in dance", the client reached into a bag they brought and took a fist full of pills. Yep for the third or forth time, a client tried suiciding themselves in front of me. Oh, this dance is just warming up.

When the partner began verbally assaulting me for my wrong doing, and the client began attacking nearby staff we had to call in reinforcements - enter the paramedics and a handful of police. Great. I entered this field to help people, how in the world is this bringing more peace into the world?

After multiple interviews by the county's finest, after the client was transported to the nearest trauma center to get their stomach pumped I stood in an empty room wonder what in the hell had just taken place? All the training in the world didn't prepare me for this fiasco. I plan to learn a multitude from this fubar. However at the forefront in my mind is compassion for the client. Yes they now had a few suicidal gestures in less than a week, yes they need tender care to work through not only this recent trauma, but the back log of traumatic experiences in their life.

God bless this person. God bless the 911 system in working quickly to perfection. And God bless my supervisor for having to deal with the aftermath of this.

May the world have a mentally healthy night.