Theory of Transference (Stefanielle)

Chapter 6

"That's good Danielle, you deserve to be seen."

It was now two days after the last couples appointment. It was messy and the couple was lost and confused at the same time. Stefania told them that this will be a tough road for both of them, but for one of them it will be a little harder than expected.

Stefania and Danielle were still in the same position, heads close to each other and the brunette's hand still on the blonde's cheek.

"What do I do, Stefania?" Danielle whispered at her psychiatrist.

"You listen to your heart. From what I have seen from you, you are a strong, driven and a wonderful woman. Deep down you know what to do," The two smiled at each other. Staring for a little while. Stefania's thumb was still caressing the blonde's cheek, until the silence got interrupted by a knock on the door. The brunette immediately stood up and let go of Danielle at the same time. She cleared her throat and went back to her own seat. "Come in," It was Nate.

"I'm sorry, I just had to cool down for a bit," He said while he sat back in the armchair next to Danielle.

"That's okay. How do you feel now?" The brunette asked, picking up her note pad.

"I feel better, not mad but just a bit confused," Nate said.

"Confused about what?"

"What you two expect from me. Like, I have always been like this. Yes, my job asks more time now and everything, but I didn't change. So I am lost," The man said while looking at the brunette.

"Right, understood. Well, I had individual conversations with the both of you and from there I connected my observations to a conclusion, from my point of view. You can both add at the end if you want to, but if you two are ready to listen, I will start with my conclusion and what I think is the best for you to do," The couple nodded to let the psychologist know that they understood. That's when Stefania started explaining herself.

"I see a fairy tale. You two have what a lot of people want. Young love, best friends, career and stability. Your marriage has never been a problem for either of you. For some people this situation would not be good, but you give each other the room and the freedom for hopes and dreams. And you accept the things that come with it, because you love each other. There is absolutely no doubt about your love for each other. The fact that Nate makes time to be here so you two can work on stuff, since the situation makes his wife unhappy. That is love, Nate is a busy man. And Danielle, you opening up to your husband about your feelings and your needs is a huge step for you if I look at our conversations. You are being vulnerable, because you know you need to to make things work. Anyway, to my conclusion,"

The couple smiled at each other after Stefania said that. They do love each other. They sometimes just fail to show it to one another.

"Okay, so there are flaws in your marriage like you have told me. But to be honest, I think every marriage has flaws, we're human. I see the same things you point out, so reflection wise you two are doing great. You really know each other and your marriage. I just don't think that the main issue is your marriage,"

Danielle and Nate looked at each other before they both turned their heads to Stefania.

"What is it then?" Nate asked the brunette.

"Danielle. I think Danielle is stuck in a lot of places and from my opinion she is someone that doesn't go very deep into her emotions, if she doesn't have to. I'm not saying your marriage is superficial, because that's absolutely not true. But it's common to have several problems in your marriage after a couple years. So it's not more than normal to think that it is your marriage," Stefania took a sip from her tea after she said that.