Psych Ward: Hawkeye

The client, Kate Bishop, is returning to therapy after a period of time away. Sessions are being conducted via a secure Skype setting as the client is currently located in Los Angeles. What paperwork that has been needed to be signed has been faxed to an associate of this office and signed in person and held there until this writer picks it up in person the next time he is on the West Coast.

The client continues to present as being in above average physical fitness and reports no significant changes in physical health or recent injuries. Given her choice of activities—Hawkeye, a costumed vigilante and private investigator—it seems unlikely she has sustained no injuries between when she last met with this writer and now, but whatever bodily trauma she has experienced does not seem to have created lasting physical consequences.

The client has largely disengaged herself from her family’s money but continues to present as someone used to and educated in a high socioeconomic status world. Nonetheless, she seems to have adapted well to the reduction in her financial status and articulates no anger or bitterness regarding it.

Finally, in comparison to our last series of sessions, Bishop has seemingly integrated emotion more easily in her life. While she still indicates she does tend to favor thinking over feeling the gulf between the two has shrank and that bears out in her affect. As with all changes, this seems to have carried both positive and negative consequences, but overall she seems happy about the change.

The client’s return to therapy was prompted by an interaction with a peer/mentor she identified as Jessica Jones. Jones herself recommended calling this writer as well. In the interaction, Bishop finally admitted to Jones—and possibly herself—her real change in location and current motivation stems primarily from her father’s disappearance. In giving words to this reality, the client has experienced significant ambivalent feelings she is struggling to properly process.

After “losing” many people in her life—via death, time travel, maturation, or team disbanding—Bishop clearly places a high priority on staying connected with those she cares about. So on this level, her father’s disappearance has been a tremendous struggle for her.

On the other hand, the client also has a highly developed sense of morality and her father ran aground of that morality. In violating it, he threw their whole relationship into doubt for her. Since that time, neither has addressed or attempted to address the issues. Therefore, it remained a psychologically open wound for Bishop.

His apparent mysterious vanishing has thus left her angry, disappointed, worried, scared, and confused. Even if the client has done a better job with emotions as of late, the set of feelings is proving very hard for her to sort.

Given her previous therapeutic experience, we are starting with radical acceptance. She has experienced the technique with this writer before and it is my feeling that the sooner she can come to terms with the realities of “My dad is not the man I thought he was and wished him to be,” and “My father is gone and no one knows where or why” the sooner we can begin to address the feelings below them.

Kate Bishop will visit with the above referenced associates, Doctors Kelly Thompson and Michael Walsh on May 3 and then return on June 7 to see Doctor Thompson again, this time with Doctor Leonardo Romero. All scales and intake paperwork will be completed then. Details of these sessions will be found in HAWKEYE #6 and HAWKEYE #7 respectively.

Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens is a Staff Therapist who is sure he’d fit right in in ol’ Los Angeles. What with his pallor and c-level character actor looks.