One of Alex’s most crucial moments of his career as a therapist came while he was studying at Northern Illinois University. One of his clients had trouble coping with the fallout of the 2008 shooting on campus.
“This one sticks with me vividly,” said Alex. “I went to NIU… [and] I had a patient who was in high school. He had thoughts about that.”
As a student, Alex recorded his sessions to help with his development. But, in this case, those recordings revealed the growth his client had throughout their time together.
“I don’t know who that is anymore,” Alex’s client told him. The thoughts his client had at the time disappeared.
“Just being able to show him where he was when he walked into the door — to where he was when he left — and him not being able to recognize that kid anymore, that to me stands out.”