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

Chapter 8 I am your consultant

Depression has always been a major focus of attention in the field of psychology.

Regarding the diagnostic criteria for depression, psychologists from different eras and schools of thought have been compiling and updating them continuously.

Chen Ting, who had been to several counseling centers, had already completed all kinds of depression diagnostic scales. If Nan Zhuren were to give her another test now, the validity would definitely not be high.

Nan Zhuren also decided not to have Chen Ting take the questionnaire anymore.

Because this case was taken on very hastily, Nan Zhuren was unprepared beforehand.

So he simply took out his phone and started searching for a file he remembered.

Chen Ting's curiosity was piqued: "What are you doing?"

When the visitor asked a question, Nan Zhuren naturally answered it.

“Psychological tests are generally divided into two types: scale tests and projective tests. I have reviewed your file. Your previous counselors used scale tests on you. I believe you are tired of doing those strange questions, so let’s try something different today.”

As Nan Zhuren explained, he quickly browsed his phone, and after finding what he wanted, he smiled.

"What we're going to do next is a kind of projective test."

"My phone will present you with cards featuring pictures in sequence. You need to observe them and then tell me what you see and what you feel, okay?"

"Okay," Chen Ting nodded in reply.

[A sense of tension began to creep in.]

Nan Zhuren praised without showing any emotion: "Very good."

He flicked his finger across the screen slightly: "Let's get started. Now tell me what you see?"

"A house..."

"How do you feel?"

"It's just an ordinary house."

"Could you use a more specific word to describe it? Warm, desolate, or simply beautiful or ugly?"

Chen Ting thought for a moment and said, "It looks okay, I guess."

"Very good." Nan Zhuren didn't hold back his encouragement. "Excellent."

"What about this?"

"...a butterfly, very beautiful."

"Let's move on to the next one. How about this one? What do you feel about it?"

"A little girl, she was smiling very happily." As Chen Ting said this, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Nan Zhuren quickly noticed, but did not stop, remaining calm and composed.

"next."

"A bear, it looks a bit scary."

Nan Zhuren's eyes narrowed.

"next."

"..."

"next."

"..."

Nan Zhuren maintained a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

Chen Ting's body gradually relaxed. Although she was still somewhat tense, she answered smoothly.

"next."

Chen Ting suddenly paused: "Spiders... I hate spiders very much."

"Is it just dislike? Or is it a deeper fear?"

"...I hate it, and I'm scared of it."

Nan Zhuren narrowed her eyes. The following pictures were not important, but Nan Zhuren still presented them one by one in an orderly manner.

Then he slowly tapped the phone a few more times, locked the screen, and placed it face down on the table.

The little girl's gaze was fixed on Nan Zhuren's hand, moving with his movements, before she seemed to realize something and lowered her head again.

By this point, Nan Zhuren was already confident of success.

"Let me state my conclusion first, Chen Ting."

He looked at the young girl who had become nervous again after the test and said, word by word, "You don't have depression."

The little girl's body suddenly tensed up, like a piece of frozen wood.

"What I'm curious about is why your previous therapists made that diagnosis...or rather, why did you allow those therapists to make that diagnosis?"

……

Nan Zhuren exposed a lie.

However, if the consultation ends here, it is still a failed consultation.

In the initial consultation, the counselor's goals should focus on gathering information, creating a positive consultation atmosphere, and setting consultation objectives. Even if confrontational techniques are used, they should only be employed after a good consultation relationship has been established.

However, Nan Zhuren's current situation is special, so we can only speed things up appropriately.

Let's see if they can stabilize this speeding car afterward.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Chen Ting jumped up suddenly.

She suddenly ran to the door, intending to rush out, but then turned back. She paced back and forth in the area marked by the sofa, the door, and the corner, feeling uneasy and with tears welling up in her eyes.

"You just showed me some random stuff, bears, butterflies, houses and stuff, it was so stupid...yes, so stupid!"

"I need a questionnaire. Give me a questionnaire! I'll do it for you right now, I'll do it right now..."

Nan Zhuren quietly watched the little girl, who resembled a restless little animal trapped in an invisible cage. She stopped her uneasily and crouched behind the sofa, her hands resting on the backrest, looking at Nan Zhuren across the sofa.

“Depression…shouldn’t cause such behavior, right?”

Nan Zhuren nodded: "Yes."

Chen Ting lowered her head: "How are you going to tell my mom?"

"How would you like me to tell your mother?"

……Um?

Chen Ting looked up: "I...hope?"

“Yes, how do you want me to tell your mother?” Nan Zhuren repeated.

Seeing the growing disbelief on Chen Ting's face, Nan Zhuren explained matter-of-factly, "You should have signed the informed consent form, right?"

“In the past, only my mom signed. This time, my mom signed, and I signed too.”

"Even if it's just her signature, it's fine. The one who truly established a consulting relationship with me is you."

Nan Zhuren emphasized: "Did you carefully read the contents of the confidentiality agreement?"

"I didn't look at what you gave me at the door, but I looked at it online..."

Nan Zhuren nodded: "Then you should know that there are only a few exceptions to confidentiality—simply put, it's when you would harm yourself, others, or society, when you carry a dangerous infectious disease, or when a judicial authority issues a certificate requiring me to disclose information."

"We haven't encountered this situation in our consultations so far."

Nan Zhuren watched with satisfaction as the little girl's expression gradually changed, and emphasized again, "I am your counselor."

Seeing the little girl gradually relax again, Nan Zhuren shrugged.

"We only spent about ten minutes in total, which is good news."

"If you'd like, then we can perhaps discuss how and why you had the previous therapist diagnose you with depression."

He said, "Then let's see how to solve your real problem."

(End of this chapter)