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

Chapter 610 An Interesting Form of Presentation: The Dragon King
The people arguing were naturally the consultants present.

Their point of contention was, of course, the files of all those who needed psychological intervention.

The person in charge, Lao Zhou, is a very busy man. He doesn't simply wait for the consultants present, but rather uses this time to handle some paperwork.

Once he finishes his work, these consultants will have to give him a result, even if they don't have one yet.

But the arrival of Team Leader Li accelerated this process.

"Oh, Old Li is here."

Old Zhou, the person in charge, breathed a sigh of relief. He had just received news that Team Leader Li was coming to give a report. Now, upon seeing him in person, his face showed an even more serious expression.

Then they heard Old Zhou, the person in charge, laugh and say, "Are you here to sign another slip? You're later than usual today. I looked at the form you handed me yesterday; a lot of things aren't in place yet..."

As he said this, the person in charge, Lao Zhou, took a deep breath, as if preparing to welcome something.

He wasn't afraid, because he was the superior; but as a superior, he sometimes had the obligation to tolerate and appease his subordinates' reasonable emotional outbursts.

Therefore, Lao Zhou, the person in charge, still had a headache when dealing with Team Leader Li.

After listening to the person in charge, Team Leader Li subconsciously took a breath, a habit he had developed over time.

But the next second, he managed to suppress something that was about to burst forth and only asked, "Has it been approved? Is the item on its way?"

"Hmm... Hmm? Oh, it's been approved. I called to ask, and it seems the road is blocked by water, and the person in charge of that area is coordinating people to help us get out."

"Hiss... Whew. Just get it out." Team Leader Li's chest heaved, then deflated. "So what if they're slow... They're always this slow, it's not the first time."

"Yes, everyone is having a hard time right now, you have to understand... You already understand?!"

Team Leader Li's words still carried a hint of his habitual complaints. Although they were somewhat cold-hearted, workers operating under high pressure always need some verbal emotional release.

It's perfectly normal that people aren't cold, logical machines.

But for Team Leader Li, this level of complaining was far from being a cathartic release!
It's simply swallowing your anger!
The person in charge, Lao Zhou, had already put on his usual reassuring smile, but now he froze completely.

What's wrong with this person today?
Old Zhou didn't relax; in fact, his heart was in his throat. Sometimes, a subordinate suddenly acting differently than usual isn't a good thing; it might mean they've suffered a major blow that has rendered them powerless to attack others.

Could something serious have gone wrong somewhere again?
Before Lao Zhou could ask any further questions, he heard Team Leader Li explain, "Then... I just went to see the new consultant, so I was a little late."

"Didn't you give me orders before, saying that experts would be coming in the next couple of days and that I should cooperate actively, or I would be forced to rest or something... So I went over as soon as I got the notice, but I didn't expect to talk for so long... Lao Zhou, what's wrong with you?"

The person in charge looked at Team Leader Li with suspicion and uncertainty.

Not only him, but all the counselors who were arguing in hushed tones stopped and turned their eyes to Team Leader Li.

Currently, Nan Zhuren is the only one in the entire camp providing psychological intervention to others—because everyone else is still in this tent and hasn't come to a conclusion.

In other words, this is a client who has just finished consulting with Nan Zhuren... no, after undergoing psychological intervention?
We haven't even sorted out the files yet, and that person has already completed a psychological intervention?!

"Ahem, don't call it an 'order,' that's too serious. I'm just worried about your health." The person in charge chuckled, then subtly glanced at Team Leader Li a few times. "How did your chat with that young teacher go?"

"Pretty good." Team Leader Li nodded without hesitation, then paused for two seconds before adding, "Very good."

The person in charge gradually raised his eyebrows.

"Alright, boss, I won't disturb you while you're doing your work." Team Leader Li tilted his head and gestured to the consultants around him, handing over the folder in his hand. "Hurry up and sign it so I can get back to work."

The person in charge had no reason to refuse this request. After quickly reviewing several documents, Team Leader Li rushed out.

brush--

With Team Leader Li gone, the consultants' attention shifted to the face of the person in charge, Lao Zhou.

They didn't know Team Leader Li, so they couldn't assess the consultation results; however, as his direct superior, Lao Zhou's perception of the effectiveness of the psychological intervention was second only to that of the person involved.

The counselors tried their best to glean information from the other person's face to understand the quality of Nan Zhuren's psychological intervention.

Although Nan Zhuren just demonstrated impressive micro-expression analysis and hypnosis skills, which impressed the audience, these two skills cannot be directly equated with psychological intervention.

Many people still harbored a sliver of hope that things might take a turn for the better, especially the teachers in Professor Ji's group who were involved in the black-circle incident.

however--

The person in charge, Lao Zhou, was beaming with joy.

He made no attempt to hide his feelings at that moment: "Teachers, let's hurry up and distribute the files so we can get started on our work!"

Nan Zhuren, so young, was able to transform a stubborn old comrade into a completely different person after just one consultation.

With all these expert teachers mobilized, wouldn't the entire camp be able to be transformed in a short time?

……

Nan Zhuren was very dissatisfied with the results of the intervention.

Watching the direction Team Leader Li left, the smile on his face gradually faded, and then he sighed.

To outsiders, the psychological intervention given to Team Leader Li seemed very successful; the person was practically a different person before and after entering the counseling room.

But Nan Zhuren knew that the psychological intervention he had done for Team Leader Li was actually very crude.

It's only a short-term improvement.

It only addresses the immediate issue facing the other party. It can only be described as a temporary fix, barely touching upon the root cause.

From Nan Zhuren's current perspective, the other party's attribution, interpersonal skills, and unusually strong sense of responsibility that could harm him can all be considered potential risks.

The other party has also experienced a traumatic event, and who knows, after returning home, it might lead to some strange problems such as nightmares.

Even the fact that this intervention was so successful is only because the other party is currently burdened with heavy tasks and has managed to hold on thanks to the long-standing sense of responsibility they have accumulated.

Yes, the other person hurt themselves because of a sense of responsibility, and now they are also getting back on their feet, albeit shakily, because of that same sense of responsibility.

The defenses built under these circumstances are quite flimsy.

Who knows, in a couple of days, his problem might manifest itself in a different form.

"I just hope we can survive this disaster relief effort," Nan Zhuren sighed.

Due to the shortage of psychological support resources, Nan Zhuren was unable to regularly provide interventions to Team Leader Li to consolidate the results.

As for what will happen after we go back, that's even harder to say.

Nan Zhuren could only truthfully note Team Leader Li's situation in the file, preparing to report it to the person in charge later, hoping to attract the organization's attention to some extent.

The tight pace of psychological intervention prevented Nan Zhuren from overthinking.

With this thought in mind, he picked up the walkie-talkie again and asked the staff to contact the next visitor listed in the file. "Teacher Nan, this person is still working outside and can't come for the time being," the staff replied.

That's another issue.

Unlike psychological counseling, which requires an appointment at least 24 hours in advance, Nan Zhuren's psychological intervention, which is called "talking," is very temporary.

After all, it had only been a short while since he arrived at the camp, and just over an hour since he obtained the file and determined his intervention target.

After asking several visitors via walkie-talkie, Nan Zhuren finally found an intervention subject who was taking a break.

"Then please ask him to come over."

The staff member should leave.

Nan Zhuren also took advantage of this time to quickly browse the file of the person he was intervening in.

……

Name: Wang Lili

Age: 25 years old

Position: Social worker at resettlement site
Psychological state: Extremely emotionally unstable, experiencing multiple breakdowns and crying spells at work. Frequently says "What we're doing is useless," repeatedly mentions the "Dragon King," and questions the meaning of their work. Suffers from insomnia, frequently expresses fear, and has even started reading superstitious books. Makes frequent mistakes at work and may be unable to continue handling current tasks.

Preliminary analysis suggests that this individual may have been traumatized by certain circumstances involving the disaster victims, resulting in significant emotional distress. Her condition appears to be affecting her work and the morale of other colleagues. An immediate conversation is necessary to help her adjust her mindset and alleviate her burdens. If the situation worsens, it is recommended that she be temporarily reassigned.

...]

……

Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

The visitor's file is quite interesting.

But no matter how interesting or novel it may be, it is still just a form of expression.

The essence of the problems is basically the same no matter how they change.

A psychological counselor must have the ability to see through appearances to the essence of things.

[Flow state] activated, and Nan Zhuren began his routine analysis.

After about ten seconds, he first replaced the bottled water on the table, then took out an A4 sheet of paper, fixed it to the folder, and began to make a brief outline of his upcoming conversation.

Not long after he wrote the last character, there was a knock on the door.

dong dong dong-

"Enter!"

The door to the consultation room was opened a crack, and half a body peeked in.

The visitor looked to be around 27 or 28 years old, which was older than the 25 years old listed in the file, but considering the environment, this was quite normal.

The other person was wearing a mud-splattered windbreaker, with her hair tied in a ponytail, but it was a bit messy, with a few stray hairs sticking to her sweaty forehead; her face was pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were particularly noticeable on her bloodless skin.

"Please come in," Nan Zhuren said again.

The visitor quickly scanned the inside of the tent before she stepped in, her steps somewhat unsteady.

Then, at Nan Zhuren's invitation to "Please sit down," he shrank back into the chair.

Throughout the entire process, he and Nan Zhuren barely made eye contact. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, but he would immediately look away.

I was incredibly nervous.

"Hello, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I don't know if you've heard that a psychological support team has arrived at our camp today, and I'm one of them. My name is Nan Zhuren, you can call me Teacher Nan. Don't be nervous..."

Starting with a self-introduction, this should become a structured process in subsequent psychological interventions.

After finishing this part, seeing that the visitor showed no intention of speaking, Nan Zhuren took the initiative to continue the process.

"Wang Lili, is that right?"

"Yes." The visitor's answer was brief.

"Relax, it's just the two of us here. Commander Zhou and I are both concerned about you. He mentioned that you haven't been doing well lately, especially after you took charge of resettling some of the older disaster victims. Can you tell me about it?"

"Commander Zhou" is the person in charge of this camp.

The visitor nervously twisted his hands together: "...I'm fine, I'm just a little tired. I'm sorry for causing everyone trouble."

It has a certain level of defense, but it's very weak.

Nan Zhuren offered a layer of support: "It's normal to feel tired when working under such great pressure."

Then, changing the subject, he said, "But I heard from your supervisor that you used to seem to have inexhaustible energy, but now you seem a bit... timid. This is worrying him and us. That's why he wanted me to ask you—are you having any problems at work?"

"Your ideological guidance officer may have spoken to you before, but if possible, could you talk to me about it as well?"

The visitor remained silent for a long time.

Nan Zhuren was not in a hurry; he could tell that the visitor was preparing for something.

After another breath, the visitor's lips finally moved.

Her voice was hesitant and low as she asked, "Teacher Nan, do you...do you believe in...do you believe in the Dragon King? Or, a fox spirit? A weasel spirit?"

……

This is what Nan Zhuren found interesting when he was looking at the files.

This type of client is rarely encountered in the counseling room, because those who believe in such things generally don't come for psychological counseling.

This rare opportunity for psychological intervention has enriched the case studies.

Nan Zhuren continued to guide the client using psychological counseling methods, trying to see the essence of the problem.

He spoke in a calm but curious tone: “I’m not in a hurry to draw conclusions. But I’m curious to know what made you ask this question? What did you see or…feel in your work?”

The visitor seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, speaking noticeably faster: "They are some elderly people from my resettlement area. They all come from the same village, and I'm responsible for taking care of them during my work. They..."

The visitor took a deep breath: "They have 'marks' on them!"

"It's not the kind you're thinking of, not the cross kind... It's, it's scale-like marks, on my arms and calves!"

(End of this chapter)