Psychologist

Each psychologist (1) has her own psychologist (2) to whom she can and must talk regularly. Each psychologist has another psychologist (3) to whom she can and must talk regularly. The first psychologist (1) is an ordinary client of the second psychologist (2) with the exception that she (1) happens also to be a psychologist. The role of the third psychologist (3) is to ensure that the first psychologist (1) is stable enough psychologically to do her job, given the nature of her work.

As I listen to the psychologist (1) respond to my questions about her job, I am the second psychologist (2). When she tells me about the desperate phone calls late at night from the woman about her mother and her mother’s relationship with her mother, I am the third psychologist (2). Between us (2) + (3), we conclude that she is stable enough psychologically to do her job, given the nature of her work.