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client arrive.
    “Hello? Is anyone here? The doorman said to just come on up. Hello. Hello?”
    Even though Mom explains the set-up to everyone before they arrive, most are still startled to find no one in the room.
    “Joyce, don’t be scared. This is Dr. Hannah Richards. Remember, I’m meeting with you via computer. Just sit down in front of the screen and you’ll be able to see me.”
    “Oh, my God! You scared the life out of me.” Joyce certainly sounded edgy. “Boy, you sure made me jump. I forgot about the computer. Now what do I do here? I don’t know nothing about computers.”
    “Just sit in the chair in front of the screen. That’s all you have to do. I can work all the communication controls from my side. If you’d like, you can take off your coat. There’s a hanger over by the door. Now just sit down and relax. That’s it. Now, why don’t you tell me what you’d like to discuss.”
    “Heck, I don’t know. Aren’t you the one that decides what we talk about?”
    “Okay, maybe you could tell me why you made an appointment to see a psychologist?”
    “Cause my friend Annie told me I needed to. Annie’s a smart lady”
    “And why did Annie think you’d benefit from counseling?”
    “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”
    We didn’t need a college degree to see communicating with Joyce was going to be a challenge. Mom would have to mind her words with this one.
    Mom took a deep breath and tried again. “Okay, Joyce, what do you hope will change in your life by seeing me?”
    “Maybe I’ll feel better.”
    Mom’s smile was gentle. “Can you tell me what is making you feel bad?”
    What followed was a soliloquy. It was softly spoken and with no emotion. The previous edginess in her voice vanished. It now sounded as if she was reading a script. She spoke in a monotone. No highs. No lows. No energy.
    “I lost my four kids. The state took them away from me. I let them have custody. I just couldn’t take care of them anymore. See, I started drinking when I walked out on my husband. I didn’t drink before that. My husband, Hank, he was the drunk. I’d never touched the stuff. He got real mean when he drank. Three years ago he knocked out my front teeth. At least twice a week he threatened to kill me. That’s just the way it was. He had a gun and I knew he’d use it. Then four months ago, I found out he was abusing our twelve-year-old daughter. You know—sexually. The day that I found out was the day I took the kids and left. I told Hank if he was going to kill me he’d better go ahead and do it because that was the only way he’d stop me. All those years when he was beating on me, I was too terrified to leave, but when I found out he touched our daughter I went crazy with rage. I didn’t even think about being scared. I just took the kids and left. I took them to a friend’s house. I knew they’d be safe there. After they were safe, I walked into a bar and started drinking. I kept on drinking. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know why. I just did. I don’t remember a whole lot after that. I guess I stayed drunk for a long time. One day a social worker showed up and my kids were gone. I guess I drank even more after that. Then I ended up in jail. I dried out in jail, had no choice. When I got out, I didn’t drink again. I haven’t had a drink since. But my kids are still gone. If I had my way, I’d just kill myself. But I ain’t got the guts to do that either. The church says I’d go to hell, but I already live in hell, so what’s the difference? But killing myself would make it worse for my kids. It’s one thing to be a kid whose momma gave you up, but to be told your momma killed herself, well that could mess you up a whole lot. So I go on living. Most days I barely have the energy to do that. Guess that’s why Annie said I needed to see a shrink.”
    Joyce stopped talking and looked down at her lap.
    Mom’s one question had opened a lot of issues that needed to be talked