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

Chapter 416 The Initiative in Speaking
In response to the visitor's laughter.

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

It's not that I have any personal emotions, but rather that I'm giving some emotional feedback to the visitor's reaction, expressing that "I'm paying attention to you."

After laughing, the visitor's eyes lingered on Nan Zhuren's face for a moment, but then he did not sit down as Nan Zhuren instructed.

Instead, he walked straight to the green plant by the window, turned to face Nan Zhuren, and focused his gaze on the plant.

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow inwardly; this time, there was a slight fluctuation in his thoughts.

This series of movements is quite interesting.

Based on the visitor's behavior outside and their behavior after entering the consultation room.

And there was the other party's information that I had just glanced at.

To conclude:

On one hand, this is an extremely strong [defense].

On the other hand, this deliberate disregard for one's own guidance and the act of taking matters into one's own hands is very much like a struggle for the initiative.

Nan Zhuren's thoughts collided rapidly, and she felt that she might be able to change her consultation style today.

One type of consultation style is more confrontational.

While developing a consultation plan in her mind, Nan Zhuren was also quietly collecting body language signals from her clients.

[The masks and hats are still on.]

[Back straight, but shoulders pulled forward.]

[He turned around a few times, but never exposed his back to me; he was always facing sideways...]

"Hello, my surname is Nan, you can call me Teacher Nan."

Since the visitor has no intention of talking, the counselor should take the lead in setting the pace.

As she said this, Nan Zhuren stood up from the single sofa and walked to the window, but maintained a social distance of about two and a half meters from the visitor.

"Teacher Nan." The visitor first murmured these three words to himself.

Then came another soft chuckle, followed by, "Teacher Nan's appearance... is quite professional. Can you tell how old you are?"

Nan Zhuren did not answer directly: "Do you have any preconceived notions about what your therapist should be like?"

“Of course.” The visitor put his hands in his pockets and straightened his shoulders. He glanced at Nan Zhuren, then at the window, and then at the potted plants in front of him.

“When I choose to see a counselor, I definitely hope to find a professional who can solve my problems. Ideally, such a counselor should be a bit older, but you look about my age. I spent a long time searching on your website the other day before choosing a suitable one, and I specifically chose this time when I was available.”

Nan Zhuren showed an apologetic expression and softened his tone: "On this point, our counseling center apologizes to you. If you feel that my counseling session today has not resolved your problem, we will refund your fees or change your counselor so you can try another session of psychological counseling."

Upon hearing the apology, the visitor nodded slightly. Although wearing a mask, Nan Zhuren could see that the other person's eyes narrowed.

It's a laugh, but it's no longer the kind of laugh that comes out and shows emotion, like before.

It’s a smile that comes from the heart.

This genuine smile is fleeting, but after it, the visitor's overall mindset shifts.

It can be seen that the muscles around the visitor's eyes have softened considerably, no longer as tense as when they first came in.

The visitor reached out a hand and fiddled with the green plants in front of him.

He then brought up a seemingly unrelated topic: "What are the rules for your... psychological counseling?"

"Rules?" Nan Zhuren tilted his head forward slightly, looking puzzled. The visitor fiddled with a leaf of a green plant, his eyes gazing out the window as if admiring the scenery: "Rules of the game, consultation rules, such as what to pay special attention to during consultations."

Nan Zhuren nodded, showing an understanding expression: "The receptionist should have asked you to sign an 'Informed Consent Form,' right? The relevant rights of visitors should be stated on it, such as a confidentiality agreement."

The visitor nodded and turned his gaze to Nan Zhuren: "That's the standard procedure, right? The one that applies to all consultations. What I mean is—do you have any specific rules? Rules that are unique to you, rules specifically for this consultation."

Nan Zhuren then made an expression of understanding, as if his own comprehension was insufficient and he needed the visitor to explain before he could understand.

"If you really want to talk about special rules, there aren't any. It mainly depends on you." Nan Zhuren made a shrug.

The visitor had just turned his gaze back to the greenery when he heard Nan Zhuren's words, and his gaze briefly returned.

He nodded slightly and repeatedly, then smiled and squinted his eyes: "So you're mainly looking at me? Yes, in your industry terms, I'm now a 'visitor,' a customer, right?"

“Yes.” Nan Zhuren nodded as well.

The visitor stroked the leaves of the green plant.

“But—in our industry, the ‘customer’ is always wrong,” Nan Zhuren added.

……

The visitor suddenly stopped moving.

He turned to look at Nan Zhuren, his gaze moving from top to bottom and then back up.

The counselor maintained the same posture and demeanor as before, and made eye contact with the client for two seconds.

Then Nan Zhuren squinted and shook his head as if helpless: "This is an old joke in our psychological counseling industry."

He gestured with his palm up to the sofa, indicating for visitors to sit down. Then, ignoring the visitors' reaction, he walked to his seat and sat down.

He looked at the visitors with a smile.

"click"

The visitor used a little force in his palm to pull off the green leaf from his hand.

He then took a deep breath, casually tossed the leaf back into the pot, walked over to the sofa, picked up a cushion from the double sofa, and patted it.

"Bang bang bang-"

The sound was very loud, and the visitor was exerting himself.

As if dissatisfied, the visitor then picked up the cushion from the armchair and patted it.

He then raised an eyebrow and nodded before taking his seat.

The visitor was still wearing a mask and hat. He sank into the sofa, leaned back, crossed his arms, and put his legs up in a cross-legged position.

Both parties took their seats.

Only now is this consultation truly on track.

"You've seen my file, haven't you?" This time, the visitor took the initiative to speak.

“Of course.” Nan Zhuren nodded; this was a required course at the beginning of the consultation.

Although today was rushed, Chonghui still managed to buy Nan Zhuren about two minutes, enough time for him to extract the keywords needed for this consultation.

"I'm here mainly to address two issues," the visitor said. "I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and I often can't concentrate."

(End of this chapter)