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

Chapter 5, First Case

With a loud thud, Nan Zhuren was asleep on his desk when a violent tremor suddenly woke him up.

Nan Zhuren looked up with a start and saw the bald consultant Yang, whose hair was thinning, smiling apologetically at her.

"Sorry, Xiao Nan, I disturbed your rest," Bald Yang said apologetically. "But it's almost time for work, and today is your first day, so it's better to prepare early. Although Xiao Jia said she could help you, we should be polite to our colleagues and not really bother her, right?"

With a polite smile and the stubborn hair on his head, he leisurely left while sipping his bourgeois coffee.

Yang Xudao's professional facial expression management leaves no room for criticism, and his sincere tone is enough to soothe people's hearts.

But Nan Zhuren was stunned, because the "apology" smile of Bald Yang had just given him was still lingering in his mind.

It was imprinted firmly on Nan Zhuren's iris and in his mind, like a photograph.

That smile.

There are also the lips that create this smile, the squinting eyes, the contracting cheeks, and the expanding nostrils.

All of this information flooded into Nan Zhuren's mind at the same time, and he began to analyze it.

[It's true that this bald-headed Yang is smiling, but this kind of smile is all too normal...]

An apologetic smile shouldn't be this "normal"!

If I'm not mistaken, his eyes narrowed just now—which means he did derive pleasure from 'disturbing me'.

That wasn't a forced, social smile meant to express apology; it was a genuine, "normal" smile stemming from true joy!

Or perhaps he was using an apologetic smile to mask a genuine smile...

[…Wait a minute! How am I able to observe such details?]

Nan Zhuren abruptly snapped out of his analytical state.

Then, a look of surprise gradually crept onto his face.

It's not that Nan Zhuren was alarmed because he deduced that Bald Yang harbored ill intentions; such obvious things are obvious to anyone.

Nan Zhuren was concerned about the abilities he had just demonstrated.

"This is... the effect of [Micro-expression Analysis - Beginner]?" He couldn't believe it.

……

Micro-expression analysis is a technique in the behavioral school of psychology, which aims to judge a person's psychology by observing their fleeting, subtle facial expressions.

This short sentence sounds simple, and most people would think that as long as they memorize the meaning of each micro-expression and then match them up in practice, that's enough.

But that's not the case.

There are two questions here:
First, micro-expressions often appear for only a fraction of a second, or even a fraction of a second, which is impossible for the naked eye to detect.

Second, human faces don't display only one expression at a time, as shown in textbooks. Dozens of micro-expressions may appear simultaneously on the same face, resulting in a great deal of information interference.

Many psychology experts rely on video recordings when analyzing micro-expressions, observing the changes in the target's expression frame by frame to understand the observed person's current state of mind. They need to filter out false information projected by the observed person to conceal their inner feelings, keenly capture the genuine changes in expression, and then identify the correct target from the various possible emotions corresponding to the expression.

The workload is considerable, often requiring a whole team of people to work around the clock using specialized electronic equipment.

“But just a moment ago, I analyzed it subconsciously, as naturally as eating and drinking.” Nan Zhuren swallowed. “I really mastered micro-expression analysis?”

"And this is only the so-called 'basic' effect?"

Nan Zhuren immediately recalled his dream, and found that the "Monthly Goals" and "Career Development" sections could provide further opportunities for improvement.

These will all help him master more psychological counseling techniques!
"But now there is a problem: if I want to achieve my monthly goals or even my career development, I have to do consultations and accumulate consultation hours."

"But I'm just a counseling assistant right now, and I'm not qualified to conduct psychological counseling independently."

"Even due to some problems left behind by the original owner, I probably won't be able to conduct consultations under supervision in the short term..."

How to do this?
Just then, Nan Zhuren was suddenly drawn to the bald poplar tree not far away.

……

Bald Yang sipped his coffee and finished it, and another person moved closer to him.

"Teacher Yang came very early today, is it because of Teacher Xiaojia?"

The speaker was Bald Yang's consulting assistant, who was about the same age as Nan Zhuren and had a thick head of beautiful black hair.

Bald Yang and his assistant have been working together for a long time and have a very good relationship. They are used to flirting.

Upon hearing his assistant's teasing, Bald Yang waved his hand and said, "Xiao Jia is one reason, but did you forget to organize my schedule? My first visitor today is mine."

It's an assistant's responsibility to be familiar with the therapist's schedule, so the assistant with thick hair quickly explained, "Of course I know, but this client doesn't seem to need you to come so early, does she? Her appointment is for an hour from now?"

Bald Yang shook his head: "That visitor is certainly not worth it. I'm here to intercept our supervisor or boss first."

Bald Yang paused here before continuing, "I'd like to discuss with them about transferring this visitor out. If possible, I don't even want to do today's consultation..."

Nan Zhuren's ears perked up from afar.

The thick-haired assistant readily stepped in, adopting a seeking posture: "Is there something wrong with this visitor?"

I saw Bald Yang looking unlucky, speaking in a tone full of misfortune: "This is a female student who just entered university. She was transferred from a friend of the boss. It's a troublesome case that other consultants couldn't handle and had to pass on to someone else."

"The important thing is, looking at the file, this visitor has been to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression!"

Upon hearing the word "depression," the assistant with thick hair frowned: "A confirmed diagnosis?"

This is no small problem.

Bald Yang's expression was grave: "The confirmed case is in the city hospital. Because it's only a mild case, the visitor doesn't want to take medication for the time being, and only wants to receive treatment through counseling and intervention."

The thick-haired assistant immediately showed a knowing look.

(End of this chapter)