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Dr. Balis:
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Hello, Olivia. It's good to see you again.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Hi ya, Doc, sorry I'm late. Whoops! Sorry about that! I normally don't trip all over furniture. For what it's worth, I normally don't twirl into someone's office, either. I'm just absolutely giddy about life.
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Dr. Balis:
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That's wonderful. What's been happening...
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Ms. Stillwell:
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No need to ask, Doctor. I'm dying to tell you all about everything. My new job is fabulous; I absolutely love it. I've been taking work home on a regular basis and cutting down on my time in the office. My boss, Vince, is really cool about that stuff. And get this--yesterday, I had lunch with some of the secretaries and boy did I get an earful! I told you last week that I was going to do some snooping for a chick for my dad, right? Well, I casually asked the girls if they knew of anyone I could set my father up with. They all burst into peals of laughter and told me that I'd come to the right place for "office incest." My jaw just dropped! Then, I found out what a soap opera SII is! There's one executive woman who was accused of sleeping with a 14-year-old boy and ended up getting the boy's mother fired--the mother worked at SII, too. And one guy is dating a woman here but got their roommate pregnant. That one shocked me. One of the girls tried to tell me that the roommate was really a cousin of the girl who is dating the guy, but I said that was a bit far fetched. But by far, the best one was the nympho who used the guys in her group to get pregnant. I wouldn't have believed that one at all--as a matter of fact, I refused to believe it until they brought out a newspaper article--it made the press. Here, I xeroxed a copy. I didn't think you'd believe me.
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Dr. Balis:
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Thank you.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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You know, when I saw it, I just about passed out. What a hoot this company is. Have I lost you with all of this, Doc?
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Dr. Balis:
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No, I'm just a bit surprised at the rumor mill at SII.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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It's vicious, that's for sure. I know I'll be keeping my personal life to myself. It just cracked me up to hear about all the inner-office dating; who was caught kissing whom on the sofas; who sleeps with whom. What a hoot!
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Dr. Balis:
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I do hope you take it all with a grain of salt, Olivia.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Oh, yeah...I know better than to believe that it's all 100% true. But there wouldn't be rumors if there weren't some sort of foundation for them. Each rumor has to be based on some sort of fact. I'm pretty sure they are all inflated though.
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Dr. Balis:
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What else has you so happy today?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Well, my boss said that if I keep up my good work, I'd see a reward at my 3-month review. I'm absolutely tingling with excitement.
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Dr. Balis:
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That's wonderful! Does your father share the same excitement?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Ugh. I knew we'd be going there today.
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Dr. Balis:
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No need for the dramatic sigh, Olivia. You need to work through your difficulties with your father. He is your father, after all, and a pretty important part of your life.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Hello? Weren't you listening last week, Doc? He's not my father. He's just someone who took over my life and has been trying to make up for his mistake through me.
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Dr. Balis:
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I seriously doubt the situation is as simplistic as you put it.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Doctor, my father is a nice person. He's very generous; he is very intelligent. He is also overbearing. If he were the father of a friend of mine, we'd probably get along wonderfully. But he's not. So I have to work with what I have.
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Dr. Balis:
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You can't work with what you have by shutting him out. Did you have lunch or dinner with him like you planned?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Nope. He hasn't been answering his phone at home. He doesn't return my calls and has been having his secretary play interference for him when I call him at work. Phyllis is usually pretty slick and will...uh, accidentally let me through to him. He must have put the fear of God into her, because she gets off the phone with me as quickly as possible.
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Dr. Balis:
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That doesn't sound good.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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I'm not overly worried about it. He was like this when I decided to go to UC Santa Cruz instead of that uppity Mills College. No way was I going to an all girl-school. Ick! He was so furious with me for even applying to another college that he didn't talk to me for a week. Don't worry, Doc. He always comes around.
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Dr. Balis:
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Do you think this rift will put any permanent strain on your relationship with your father?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Nah. He's too committed to being the perfect father for any problem to last for very long. Oh, something weird happened this week though. It was really odd. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now I wonder. At first, I thought my memory was just flaking out on me. But later, I tried really hard to remember and just couldn't, which I think is really odd considering that it was probably such a big event at the time. I mean, kids don't just forget about things like that, you know? Those are the things that make life-long memories.
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Dr. Balis:
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Olivia, what are you talking about?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Oh sorry, Doc! Guess it would help if I brought you in at the beginning of the thought rather than the middle. See, last week, I went over to my father's to pick up some of my stuff--college yearbooks and such. I was going through a box and came across a picture of me. I looked to be about 5 or 6 years old. The picture was taken at an amusement park, but I swear I've never seen the park before. My father happened to be walking by so I asked him when it was taken. He said I was probably too young to remember and stormed up to his den and shut the door.
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Dr. Balis:
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Is it an amusement park near here?
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Ms. Stillwell:
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It doesn't look like any amusement park I've seen. It looks like it's all about dinosaurs or something. Maybe it's a theme park, not an amusement park with rides. Oh well, I guess I was just too young to remember. It just struck me as odd.
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Dr. Balis:
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Memories often return at the oddest times. I wouldn't worry about it, Olivia. It's stored in your brain and could come out at any time. Our time is just about up, but before you leave, I'd like to know your thoughts on the journal that I asked you to consider.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Oh, yeah. I thought about it and I think it would be a good thing for our sessions. The only problem is that I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'd probably never remember to write in it. Then, I'd just start to feel guilty for neglecting something that I'd committed to do.
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Dr. Balis:
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This doesn't need to be a daily entry type of journal. It's just a way for you to write down your thoughts, feelings, any drawings...I don't want you to feel pressured to do this; however, I do think it would help you sort out your feelings.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Okay, Doc. I'll see what I can come up with this week.
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Dr. Balis:
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Great, then we'll see each other next Monday.
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Ms. Stillwell:
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Have a good week, Doc!
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Dr. Balis:
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Goodbye, Olivia.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Session
Transcripts of Olivia Stillwell's Communications
