Near the end of In the Best Interest of the Child, heroine Olivia Chandler admitted she needed help to overcome her emotional demons and made the giant step forward to enter counseling. But the savvy child advocate attorney is too smart for her own good sometimes and nothing is ever easy with her.
This small snippet is from one of Olivia’s counseling sessions. Psychologist Diane Payton is as tough as her client and doesn’t give Olivia any slack.
***
Without a word, Diane went to her desk and retrieved the lone file from her In basket and returned to her seat.
“You have the right to review your file at anytime, Olivia, so just pretend you made a request and read the highlighted section for me please.” She passed a document to Olivia. “Aloud, please.”
Confused, Olivia found the section and began to read.
“Client is agitated and fidgets. Doesn’t maintain eye contact. Hands/palms appear to be sweaty. Voice tone is raised and speech is rapid. Almost childlike. Client is reliving the experience.”
Olivia read the passage again in silence. She frowned and looked to Diane for explanation.
“That was you as spoke of some of your former foster homes, the physical abuse you suffered, and life without your parents.”
Olivia Chandler couldn’t help but think of how horrible a childhood she had.
“Now read this one.”
Taking the document from her therapist, Olivia did as she was told.
“Client is the most relaxed I’ve seen her to date. Sitting in upright chair, legs crossed, hands clasped around knee. Her speech is animated and eyes are bright. Client appears content. (Happy?)”
“Diane, when was-”
“When you talked about Bruce.”
Olivia shook her head.
“This doesn’t prove anything.”
Her therapist smirked.
“You’re right, it doesn’t.” She leaned toward Olivia. “Or… it does.”
“She scoffed. “Now, you’re being facetious.”
“And you’re in denial.”
****
After winning her young client’s custody battle, Olivia Chandler knows she can no longer hide from her own childhood trauma. With support from Bruce Bellamy and his family, she enters counseling. Her therapy will not be easy, and may not be successful unless Olivia can forgive her mother for the years Olivia spent in foster care. But is Sarina Chandler the only one in need of forgiveness?
Bruce introduces Olivia to his adult children. But her continued refusal to visit her mother pulls at the seams of Olivia’s new-found love with Bruce. The unexpected death of her mentor blind-sides Olivia causing her to withdraw back into the darkness of her mind. She pushes everyone away… including Bruce Bellamy.
Defeated, Olivia Chandler believes it her fate to concede to the same trauma-born mental illness that took her mother. But two voices, one from the present and one from the past, will challenge her to fight for the future her father intended for her to have… or succumb to madness.
Felicia Denise, Author 