The Psychologist I stepped into my office, and luxuriated in the warm Friday morning sun as it hit my forehead. I sat down at my desk, confident I was ready for my task ahead. The metal plate in front of me proudly displayed my name to the world: Dr. Victor Thorpe, PhD. Another day of untangling the mystery that is the human mind. For the past twenty-five of my fifty-one years, I have dealt with addictions, fears, compuls...

The Security Guard "I-I'm sorry," I stammered awkwardly, "I guess I didn't expect 'Dr. Thorpe' to be a woman." Dr. Stephanie Thorpe fixed me with a look, the one shrinks always do where it feels like they're reading your mind. "Do you have an issue with that?" she said, piercingly. "No, not at all!" I wasn't lying, either. I worked with plenty of women in my job as it was, and I'd grown used to the soppy ‘talk about your...

I entered the grandly decorated hall, with glittering chandeliers and wide, elegant staircases. Windows lovingly furnished with huge, soft, red velvet curtains. A series of balconies beyond the windows overlooked an immaculately tended garden, waiters were spread vigilantly across the space, bearing silver trays of appetisers and champagne, and Baroque music from an invisible sound system was filling the air amongst the c...