By Tim Stevens
Peter Wisdom appears to be a physically fit adult male. However, despite recently quitting, after years of smoking, the client does have a decreased lung capacity that goes hand-in-hand with his former tobacco dependence. While it is clear in conversation that the client is well educated and intelligent, he often favors an accent and expressions that attempt to mask that fact. He presents as loose and sarcastic, for the most part, but can become short-tempered and reserved when the conversation dips into any areas where the client has negative or complicated feelings. This is especially noticeable when discussing important women in his life.
The client is currently the head of MI13, a division of the British intelligence community tasked with observing and regulating—often with force—supernatural, extraterrestrial, or interdimensional phenomenon. According to
information provided, Wisdom has done a good job in the role and, although he either downplays it or is unaware of it, has grown into the role of leader in the eyes of most, if not all, of his compatriots.
The most prominent area of concern in discussing Wisdom's well-being is how he is processing feelings of guilt and responsibility. The client's life has, unfortunately, been marked by more than its fair share of tragedy. His mother was killed while he was still a young adult, his sister Romany turned to evil and fought him, a lover had to be killed—by his hands, no less—in order to save London, and one of his closest friends, John, was slain during the Skrull invasion.
Each of these incidents on their own would be hard for most people to cope with. Wisdom complicates the grieving process further however, by refusing to acknowledge these feelings under the auspices of needing to be professional and do his job, and by blaming himself for them. These and, in fact, every death that has occurred on his "watch" he attributes to his own failures and shortcomings and therefore blames himself. While short-term feelings of responsibility
are not unusual, the client's dedication to feeling guilty is such that, all these years later, he remains dedicated to the idea that he is as much as fault for the death of his mother as the person that pulled the trigger.
Wisdom also feels great guilt for those who have survived but he still feels as though he let down. In particular, this seems to be the case with a former teammate named
Kitty Pryde with whom he had a romantic relationship. It was guilt that derailed the relationship and guilt that prevented him from trying to rekindle it.
Until the client can develop a healthier coping style, he will continue to overburden himself with responsibility, something that could make him a liability in the field if it goes unchecked. As such, this writer is recommending Wisdom for weekly one-to-one therapy to challenge the maladaptive cognitions that force him to develop and hold onto such great guilt. It is also recommended that Wisdom begin to attend group therapy for survivors to discuss the death of his mother as well as any declassified events he feels responsible for.
Finally, the client was urged to avoid using physical intimacy as a means of distracting himself from his pain. The client politely rejected this advice.
Peter Wisdom's next appointment is with Doctors Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk on June 17. Further details on the appointment can be found in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #14.
Tim Stevens is a Mental Health Supervisor currently pursuing his Psy D who has experience with individuals who have difficulty processing negative emotions.
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