TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO FILE:

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

CLIENT: I know you sent it to me and then I don't know what -

THERAPIST: I can look it up. Hold on one second.

CLIENT: Today's our last day.

THERAPIST: Today is our last day. I can't believe it.

[PAUSE: 0:00:17.3 to 0:00:43.3]

THERAPIST: So, it will take me just a second. Five-forty.

CLIENT: So you're sick?

THERAPIST: Yeah, yeah. You can tell by the cough drops?

CLIENT: Yeah. Can I have a grapefruit flavored one?

THERAPIST: I'll give it to you. You might have to figure out which one's grapefruit, though.

CLIENT: Thank you.

THERAPIST: This morning I just had a slight sore throat still. It's so dry.

CLIENT: This is grapefruit.

THERAPIST: Thank you. That's going to be good. If I open it, will it be will it spoil?

CLIENT: No, just put it in the fridge tonight.

THERAPIST: Okay. I just want to smell it.

CLIENT: It just smells like sugar and you have to like pop the lid with this phone or something. It just smells like sugar and strawberries, that's all it is. [0:02:21.7]

THERAPIST: Okay.

CLIENT: Sugar, strawberries and pectin.

THERAPIST: Where are the strawberries from?

CLIENT: Usually he goes to a farmstand in Flourtown or something.

THERAPIST: In where?

CLIENT: Flourtown. Or, I guess not Flourtown. It's probably Lower Merion.

THERAPIST: Oh, yeah, that's going to be good.

CLIENT: It's the real stuff.

THERAPIST: Strawberry is my favorite.

CLIENT: Really?

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: That's good.

THERAPIST: Thank you.

[PAUSE: 0:03:02.4 to 0:04:06.4]

THERAPIST: You're open late. What's today's date 3-5? Here it is, 3-5. Thank you.

CLIENT: This past week has been crazy.

THERAPIST: I bet.

CLIENT: On Monday night, we flew from Baltimore to Columbus, got a rental car, drove to Indianapolis, got into the hotel at like eleven-ish, maybe eleven-thirty. We woke up the next morning, drove to meet a friend of a friend, at a coffee shop, she talked to us about the housing market, about what Indianapolis is like. She told us who to go to for a used car. [0:05:34.7]

So, then we saw two or three apartments, you know we saw two... three, three apartments on Tuesday. We went to a few apartments on yeah. Two different people on Tuesday, we saw apartments with. Then on Wednesday, we saw a few more apartments, and then by Wednesday night, I think we decided on the one downtown.

THERAPIST: Huh.

CLIENT: And then on so we went to hand in our applications on Thursday, and we went to buy a car. We bought a car.

THERAPIST: You did? [0:06:45.6]

CLIENT: On Thursday.

THERAPIST: Wow.

CLIENT: Got approved for the apartment.

THERAPIST: Wow.

CLIENT: Drove back.

THERAPIST: You drove back?

CLIENT: No, no, no, drove and then we went. And then we went and we left the car on the lot that we bought.

THERAPIST: The sales, the dealer's lot.

CLIENT: Yeah. And then we um... Then we went, via Orlando, to get into Virginia. Then on Saturday, we had no yeah. Saturday we had a meeting with the lady at Lowe's, and then we had the engagement party. And then on Sunday [0:08:02.8]

THERAPIST: When was the engagement party?

CLIENT: Monday, Thursday and Friday.

THERAPIST: No, where was it?

CLIENT: Oh, at my parents' house. On Sunday, we had we leave for worship and then my regiments committee, talking to us about all the things we need to do before the wedding, and then Sunday night, we drove up to Baltimore. Oh, and before I left Baltimore, the IRS sent me a letter that said that on my social security number, there was a reported income of $8,000 in 2010, no 2011, and I owe them one thousand, four hundred something dollars, however much my federal income return was, my federal tax return was. [0:08:56.0]

THERAPIST: You owe them money back from that?

CLIENT: I owe money back to the IRS because I allegedly earned $8,000 in Long Beach, California, as an aide, which is bullshit, I don't know. Yeah, so somebody either stole my identity -

THERAPIST: Whoa, really?

CLIENT: Or accidentally used my social security number to report their income.

THERAPIST: It was from where?

CLIENT: Long Beach, California, it's near Anaheim, like a suburb of Los Angeles.

THERAPIST: Okay. Where were you born?

CLIENT: I was born in California, so it's a California social security number.

THERAPIST: Yeah, that's why, yeah, okay.

CLIENT: Well, I was born in Nevada, I don't know if it counts, the year, but it's still I think since my parents were residents of California, they made it California. I've got a California social security number.

THERAPIST: Okay, yeah. So you've got to deal with that headache.

CLIENT: Right. But I haven't had like when they ran my credit at the dealership, my credit score was 760, and dad's was above 800, so there's I don't really think that my identity has been stolen.

THERAPIST: Yeah. Maybe you should check it out. [0:10:12.9]

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: I mean, yeah, if it's 760 though, right? Maybe somebody just put something the wrong number down on a W9 or something.

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: W2.

CLIENT: That's what I'm hoping.

THERAPIST: God, you think they would cash it though?

CLIENT: Well, I wrote a letter to the IRS and I gave them my W2 from Rhode Island and told them that I've been living in Rhode Island for seven years, and that I haven't been working in California for five years, because I did hold a job there, you know, summer jobs and stuff.

THERAPIST: Somebody got $8,000 or somebody had social security benefits?

CLIENT: Somebody earned $8,000 and reported it on my social with my social security number.

THERAPIST: But they only earned $8,000.

CLIENT: Right.

THERAPIST: That's weird. [0:11:13.3]

CLIENT: Because if they only earned $8,000, why wouldn't they report only earning $8,000 and get the earned income tax credit.

THERAPIST: Yeah. It sounds just like an error. But wow, busy week. So, what did you think of Indianapolis?

CLIENT: It seems like one big suburb.

THERAPIST: Yeah, okay. You said you're going to live downtown?

CLIENT: Yeah, there's like one there's like a small main street area.

THERAPIST: Wow, okay.

CLIENT: We're going to live there. So it will be more like living in Baltimore.

THERAPIST: You can walk to a restaurant and stuff like that?

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Oh, okay, yeah. How did you like the apartment?

CLIENT: It's smaller than I would like, but we only there was an option to sign a six month lease or a twelve month lease, so we signed a six month lease, just in case like, we decide to we want to move somewhere else, you know, to a bigger place or something, but I think we'll like it. The kitchen is going to drive me nuts though. [0:12:23.4]

THERAPIST: Why? Small?

CLIENT: Yeah. It's a one person at a time kind of kitchen.

THERAPIST: Really?

CLIENT: I'm sure it will drive crazy. There's a lot of nice options but none of them there's not really anything great downtown.

THERAPIST: Okay. And you want to move but you want to be downtown.

CLIENT: I'm afraid of being isolated and living in even a little bit farther from downtown, I think we'll be able to make it work.

THERAPIST: Good, well good then, you're living downtown.

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: I'm not sure, the rent's like what?

CLIENT: Rent is going to be like $850.

THERAPIST: Is that right? A two bedroom?

CLIENT: One bedroom.

THERAPIST: One bedroom, okay. [0:13:23.9]

CLIENT: But it also has like free washer dryer in the basement for all the residents, so there's like eight washers and eight dryers or something like that. A gym a bike storage room, a regular storage area where it's locked and we can like... Or it's locked and we can store things, like and I don't know how big they're going to give us, but we're either entitled to two small ones or one large one. And then there's like a parlor room where we can entertain, because the apartments aren't really big enough for entertaining. It's a pretty nice place.

THERAPIST: A pool?

CLIENT: And Phil will be able to walk to work. And the lady said as long as my plants are in flower pot planters, then I can garden, have tomato plants. [0:14:45.1]

THERAPIST: Got a pool?

CLIENT: It does have a pool. It's not like a lap swimming pool but it's like a pool, pool, like a socializing pool.

THERAPIST: All right. What does it feel what do you think it's going to be like? And by the way, when do you leave, when do you go down?

CLIENT: Friday, the 14th, the 15th, something like that.

THERAPIST: Are you working this week?

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Okay. This is your last week?

CLIENT: Mm-hmm.

THERAPIST: Wow.

CLIENT: I had to work this week so that I could earn some so I could earn benefits, health benefits, to the end of the month.

THERAPIST: Okay, through March.

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: When does Phil start the job?

CLIENT: March 18th, but there's like a waiting period for the health insurance benefits, so he might not start getting health insurance benefits until either April 18th or April 15th or maybe May 1st. [0:15:58.9]

THERAPIST: So where are you at? Has it sunk in, is it sinking in?

CLIENT: It is. It's hard but... I don't even know what to do, like I have so many things on my plate and I just don't want to go to work anymore. I need to deal with this IRS thing, I need to pack, I need to talk with COBRA. I need to pack some more, I need to finish my taxes.

THERAPIST: Yeah. Well, you've got so, you're done. Do you have anything you've got to do from Saturday on?

CLIENT: You mean? Well, Saturday, I need to I'm going to my bachelorette party, so I feel like I need to spend the day at the hair salon and things like that. [0:17:04.3]

THERAPIST: Okay.

CLIENT: And then Sunday, we're going to a restaurant.

THERAPIST: The big name. What time is it going to be, is it at three?

CLIENT: Five. Three, please. I'm trying to get the kids eat free special or something. It makes my stomach turn, how angry I am about it.

THERAPIST: Okay, yeah.

CLIENT: And I just have to sit there and be gracious and thankful that they're taking us out to a nice dinner.

THERAPIST: You do?

CLIENT: I don't need to burn any bridges. They already burnt them but that's what Phil would want. Just like, I don't understand that you're pregnant and you can't bear the thought of going into labor without your husband there. You're projecting all of your family issues and you're making them everybody's family issues. You're making them issues with your husband's family. So, she's incredibly emotionally damaged, doesn't have the capacity to be friends with more than one woman at once. I'm pretty sure she has no trust in men at all. [0:19:01.2]

THERAPIST: Yeah, that would really, that would really burn you up, yeah, that whole thing. What do you think the significance of her is to you, you know?

CLIENT: It's just like, I thought we were going to be friends, I thought we were going to be close.

THERAPIST: Mm-hmm.

CLIENT: Like, I thought a baby would bring us closer together.

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: And like... Whatever, I mean like...

THERAPIST: Well, it's kind of what you want from a family. [0:20:12.6]

CLIENT: Right, but like I want you know, family is supposed to be close and support each other and trust each other and communicate with each other.

[PAUSE: 0:20:30.8 to 0:20:55.7]

CLIENT: I don't know. I just, I guess, you know like it's really upsetting to me, but what also is upsetting is that when you go to a religious wedding, you sign the wedding certificate and you say that you support the marriage and that you're there to help the couple, and that you're responsible, you know, for helping the couple and for holding the marriage, and whatever, you know? And now our names aren't going to be on that.

THERAPIST: They're not going to sign, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's got a symbolic quality to it. I mean, it's symbolic of what you feel has happened. I mean, I think in some way, her not going to the wedding and on that like, where does she really where does she really see me fitting into her life? [0:22:07.0]

CLIENT: Well, right. And I understand her not going to the wedding, enormously pregnant, dangerous to fly, you know, don't want to give birth in Virginia without your doctors and whatever. But...

THERAPIST: Yeah, yeah. But she, she's -

CLIENT: Her baby is going to be born on like June 16th, or like something crazy. You know? And, and it's going to be done already, it's going to be fate will be sealed, you know? Once that baby's born two weeks later, you can't go back, you know, two and a half weeks, to come back to the wedding.

THERAPIST: Did she express much in the way of conflict or feeling remorseful about that?

CLIENT: I mean, she did tell me that when she found out the due date she felt bad or she was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to come. [0:23:12.1]

THERAPIST: What did the quality of it feel like to you then?

CLIENT: Fake.

THERAPIST: It did? Okay.

CLIENT: It felt like -

THERAPIST: It was like she was really you felt like, God, she really wants to be there.

CLIENT: And she didn't take me aside and say it or anything, she like said it in front of a bunch of people, oh, (inaudible), I'm so disappointed.

THERAPIST: Oh, okay. Eesh, yeah. That's a lot different than taking you aside and going, I feel so bummed out about this, I want to be there.

CLIENT: And I hope you understand or, you know, please forgive me, or whatever.

THERAPIST: I'm racked with guilt about it.

CLIENT: She should be. I don't really think she has much of a super ego though.

THERAPIST: Oh, that's Bernice, yeah,

[PAUSE: 0:24:03.8 to 0:24:22.8]

THERAPIST: So what thoughts have you had about this being our last meeting?

CLIENT: I have a friend who needs therapy and I've offered her my timeslot.

THERAPIST: What's that?

CLIENT: I said, I have a friend who should be in therapy and I've offered her my timeslot.

THERAPIST: So she'll be like a surrogate?

CLIENT: She'll be a replacement.

THERAPIST: A surrogate.

CLIENT: She's really funny. I'm sure she has much deeper seeded issues than I do.

THERAPIST: That will be your tie here.

CLIENT: Yeah. I don't know, I think I want to think that when I move down there... Sorry, my feet really smell and I'm like really sweaty right now. I don't usually sweat this much. I'd like to think that when I move down there, like I'll be fine. [0:25:31.4]

THERAPIST: What are you feeling?

CLIENT: I don't know. Just like I don't I'm mostly afraid I'll be isolated.

THERAPIST: Ah-huh.

CLIENT: And have no friends.

THERAPIST: And have you missed kind of the content they have here.

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Mm-hmm.

CLIENT: People are really friendly though, but it took me, you know, it took me a long time to get used to Baltimore and like Baltimore, and I'm afraid it's going to take me a long time to make friends again.

THERAPIST: The new kid in town. [0:26:32.6]

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Did you ever go to I forget if you ever went to the Catholic stuff around here.

CLIENT: Yeah, I've been to the one up the street a couple of times. It's just hard to get to because it's at 10:30 in the morning, and I don't have a car.

THERAPIST: Okay, yeah, yeah.

CLIENT: There's lots of Catholics in Indianapolis.

THERAPIST: Did you feel like that was an avenue for you, here?

CLIENT: No, because Catholics are old. I don't know, Catholics are old.

THERAPIST: You didn't find any young?

CLIENT: Not really. Because like, I think it's so awkward, like trying to make friends with people and being like hey, like, do you want to hang out?

THERAPIST: Yeah. [0:27:34.4]

CLIENT: I don't know, I just feel weird doing that.

THERAPIST: Do you?

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Yeah, what does it bring up?

CLIENT: I don't know, because I'm afraid of being weird, or like that they think I'm like trying to ask them out or that they think that, who is this girl? Or that maybe I'm just afraid of being rejected. I don't know.

THERAPIST: How do you usually form like I think this is kind of a general question. How do you usually kind of make friends? Do they usually kind of happen, like it takes a while to develop something, you know them for a while. Do you reach out to them, they reach out to you? Is there any kind of...?

CLIENT: I think usually, I reach out to them. It took me like a little while to make friends at work. I think I was working in March. I started working in March and then, when the basketball team went to the were in the playoffs, Miranda and I went out, and so I think that was probably like June or July. So it was four months of working together before we hung out. And of course, I mean she is a kid but, you know? [0:29:30.0]

THERAPIST: Yeah, yeah. So, it's not going to be easy down there.

CLIENT: Yeah. Plus not working will be hard, but I'm going to have to find something to do, like join a softball team or something.

THERAPIST: What are you thinking of doing for work?

CLIENT: I don't know. I'll have to see what the pay scale is for childcare. I don't know. I don't really know what I'm good at besides kids and photography. I could do that but I don't know how to start my own business.

THERAPIST: Yeah. You guys, how are you going to make a life down there I guess is the big one of the big questions you're tasked to. [0:30:30.4]

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Open book. This is a blank, open book, blank slate, you name it.

CLIENT: It's an open slate.

THERAPIST: Open slate. (laughs)

CLIENT: Are you recording our session?

THERAPIST: Yeah. They're going to love that. How did you find the recording, by the way? What did you think of it?

CLIENT: At first it was weird and then I stopped noticing. Every once in a while, I think of a person in the Midwest with headphones on listening to our conversations, transcribing it. But I don't really understand how anybody's going to learn anything from just an audio recording or just a transcription of an audio recording. [0:31:39.3]

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: They're so much more than that.

THERAPIST: Oh, yeah?

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: What do you think? What are they missing?

CLIENT: Well there's body language and there's tone of voice and facial expression, and nobody knows, right now, the position I'm sitting in, or about the way that... I don't know, it just seems weird. It's like trying to find out if people are fighting or just like reading their text messages or something. [0:32:40.4]

THERAPIST: So have you met with Brad, it's the last time too.

CLIENT: I don't know if I need to do that, because I owe him money and I need to tell him that I'm moving. (inaudible) next week, I guess.

[PAUSE: 0:33:04.0 to 0:33:35.4]

THERAPIST: Do you think you'll seek out therapy down there?

CLIENT: Not right away. Like, I'm going to be on COBRA. Phil with have United Healthcare. I think I don't think I'm going to go to therapy unless I really need it. I've heard terrible things about United Healthcare, them losing invoices and claiming they never got something. If I do seek employment, I'll seek a job that has Blue Cross Blue Shield, because like that shit is crazy. Like... yeah. My pizza guy told me I'd be back in six months.

THERAPIST: The pizza guy, they tend to know a few things.

CLIENT: They sure do. If I come back for anything it will be the health insurance. [0:34:43.4]

THERAPIST: What's that?

CLIENT: If I come back for anything, it will be the health insurance. I'm just surprised that government can get away with such crappy health insurance coverage.

[PAUSE: 0:35:08.0 to 0:35:57.2]

CLIENT: So what are you going to do with your Tuesday nights?

THERAPIST: Good question.

CLIENT: Come on, tell me.

THERAPIST: What am I going to do on Tuesday nights? I don't know yet, that's a good question. I don't know. It will be different.

CLIENT: Do you have clients this late on other evenings?

THERAPIST: No, no. I'm trying to stop at six.

CLIENT: Yeah. It's going to be laundry night.

THERAPIST: Well, it's going to be different without you. [0:36:57.3]

CLIENT: I know.

THERAPIST: It's going to be different. It's been what, three years?

CLIENT: Yeah, something like that, four years, three years.

THERAPIST: Three years. A lot has happened.

CLIENT: Yeah.

[PAUSE: 0:37:17.1 to 0:37:45.0]

CLIENT: I just hope it goes smoothly when we move.

THERAPIST: Mm-hmm.

CLIENT: Phil hired movers and he's trying to find plane tickets but they're expensive right now he says.

THERAPIST: Down to Columbus.

CLIENT: To fly down to, yeah, Columbus, or Indianapolis, you know, two weeks from now or a week from now, because they're expensive.

THERAPIST: Ten days.

CLIENT: Yeah, actually, I'm going to text him, because he (rummaging through her purse) said the tickets are really expensive, but my mom has air miles that maybe she'll give us them. I'll just let him know that. Oh gosh, I heard it.

[PAUSE: 0:38:54.7 to 0:40:00.3]

CLIENT: (whiny) It's been crazy and I just don't want to go to work tomorrow.

THERAPIST: It's a tough week to be working.

CLIENT: Yeah. And I'm like kind of sick. But if I take off on a day where there's like a significant snowstorm, I have to take a sick day. I mean, I have to take a holiday instead of a sick day, because I guess they don't just want us using sick days as an excuse to stay home when there's snow. They should just make it all paid time off, like you know, like come on.

THERAPIST: They don't give you any breaks.

CLIENT: No. And so, that's one thing about doing it tomorrow, because there's supposed to be a storm coming. [0:41:05.6]

THERAPIST: Yeah, Wednesday night.

CLIENT: But tomorrow, the girl who they hired for essentially my position, except more like not my position because I'm not gone yet, Chrissie's position, has training at central, so... I think I realize it looks bad taking the Wednesday off before my last day but I'm stressed out.

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: As long as the IRS answers the phone at 8:30 at night, now they're going to call me at home. [pause] I don't have anything else to say. [0:42:44.6]

THERAPIST: No?

CLIENT: No.

THERAPIST: We're near the end.

CLIENT: Just done, I guess. I'm just nervous and afraid that I won't have friends, but I've been through that before, so.

THERAPIST: Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't think that's a small thing. You're losing what we have. I know it's been a lot. You know, you've done this despite not having a lot of money and, you know, having long days. It's meant a lot for you to schlep it all the way out here weekly, and to have a place to talk and share yourself, because it's the city's been kind of cold to you, many times, and you needed this. [0:44:11.1]

CLIENT: People think Baltimore like somebody said oh, I went to Baltimore, people were so friendly. And I was like, what part of Baltimore did you go to? You must have ran into all the people who aren't actually from Baltimore.

THERAPIST: Well listen, you should know that any time you want to call.

CLIENT: Okay.

THERAPIST: And for any reason. And I'd definitely, if you ever wanted to find somebody down there, I'd help you any way I could. I don't know that I I know I don't know anybody myself personally, but I know a couple of people in Indiana actually, and maybe that they know somebody. As well, as having professional kind of networks to ask people for referrals in Indianapolis. [0:45:07.7]

CLIENT: Mm-hmm.

THERAPIST: Yeah, it's going to be a big month and a big couple months for you.

CLIENT: Yeah. I just can't believe that in three months, I'm going to be done with moving and married and like living in a new place, like my life is going to be so different in three months, and like it scares me, but I guess I feel like I need to get over the first hurdle of where to how to deal with the IRS, how to pack, what to get rid of.

THERAPIST: How to leave, yeah.

CLIENT: Yeah. (blows nose) Now I can't shake your hand because (inaudible). All right, well...

THERAPIST: The final tying of the shoes. [0:46:40.5]

CLIENT: Yeah.

[PAUSE: 0:46:41.0 to 0:47:14.8]

CLIENT: You need a live plant in here. (laughs) That was funny. Can I give you a hug?

THERAPIST: You can.

CLIENT: Thank you.

THERAPIST: You're welcome.

CLIENT: You've been very good. Excellent.

THERAPIST: It's been really nice working with you.

CLIENT: You too.

THERAPIST: It's been really nice getting to know you. I wish you a lot of luck and a real happy life down there.

CLIENT: Yeah.

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: I think it will be good. I just worry about being, like isolated, you know? Just home alone a lot. There's a zoo right near where I'm going to live, so maybe I'll be able to work there.

THERAPIST: Yeah. Well, I think it's also going to be excited I'm excited to think about you being a mom. [0:48:19.0]

CLIENT: Yeah, yeah. We'll see what United Healthcare thinks about IBF and gene screening.

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: Probably not. They're probably not too pumped about that.

THERAPIST: It seems to me too, that like the way you talk about children, is it's going to add a lot to your life.

CLIENT: Yeah, I hope so. I do hope to become a parent and like I just don't know how I'm going to get out of bed before 7:30 in the morning.

THERAPIST: I bet. Everybody does it, everybody finds a way.

CLIENT: Bye.

THERAPIST: All right, bye. Again, call any time.

CLIENT: Okay. Do you have a card, so that I can keep it in my wallet?

THERAPIST: I don't, you know?

CLIENT: What?

THERAPIST: Yeah. You've got my number.

CLIENT: Well, then hand me one of those blank sheets of paper. I know, it's in my phone. So, you actually use these now. [0:49:25.0]

THERAPIST: Yeah.

CLIENT: Remember, how many times I had to tell you to go get some.

THERAPIST: I know, you were the you were kind of the inspiration.

CLIENT: Thank you.

THERAPIST: Okay.

END TRANSCRIPT