Some days clients get to you.
Most days it’s fine. You do your stuff, they do theirs, you close the file, you move on.
Not some days. Some days you answer the phone on your way out the door and end up listening to a story that wrings your heart out through your soul for fifteen minutes straight. And all you can say as you hang up the phone is “I’m sorry, I’m not sure we’re the right people to help…”
Most of the time it’s as simple as listening, taking their number, getting them a caseworker, or putting them in touch with another organisation that can help. But some days that organisation doesn’t exist. Some days there really is no help you can give but listen. Some days you get sucked into the world of the client.
When just listening really is all you can do it is never, ever, enough.
I want there to be less of those days. I want those days to affect me less.
I don’t want to see so clearly into peoples heads and lives. I don’t want to be hard and bitter; I love helping people. I just wish some days I could retreat behind a barrier to save myself a little pain. I just… I just want there to be fewer conversations like the one I had at 5 o’clock today.
Welcome to Bright Meadow. My name is Cas and I try to post here once or twice a week. I'm also trying to write a book along with hold down a full time job, blog and have something approaching a social life! Check out my