the shrink . sonny carisi {svu}

1

They teach you to conjure up artificial empathy for every patient and every case. You need to be able to show you care without ever really caring.

It's not as heartless or manipulative as it sounds. Or it is, but it serves a purpose. If you let yourself become emotionally attached to a patient or a case, your scientific objectivity is compromised.

Moreover, humans are empathetic by nature but everybody has a limit. It becomes draining to care so deeply about every person you work with; you learn this in postgrad training.

Passing through those doors, with my briefcase tucked under my arm and the worst shoes I could've worn destroying my poor feet, I realised I really hadn't reached the level of apathy I'd need for this job.

To work with victims of rape, real victims, whose trauma had occurred so soon; no training could prepare me for this. To work with rapists themselves, create a profile of this offender, nothing could prepare me for this. No books or lectures or advice.

Working with real people was something I found easy. I loved my job. I loved helping people in a way that only another human can do. To find a balance between empathy and apathy, where I can sympathise with a patient but not become subjective in my life work, that wasn't even going to be easy.

But I'd bought new shoes, a new coat and a new briefcase for this; I was far too devoted to proving something to myself to give in now.

Hello, NYPD.