Names and details have been changed, mainly because the client changed them himself while we were typing. “Mr. Pickle” is a nine year old grey shorthair with a long history of feeling excluded by interior doors.

Presenting concern

Mr. Pickle came to us after a long period in which the bathroom door was closed against him, at a frequency of roughly four times daily. He described the experience as “a betrayal, repeated, with a flush”. His human reported that he had begun to sit outside the door in a formal position, as if serving papers.

Our approach

Dr. Biscuit Halloran began with a technique called Structured Waiting. The client sits beside the door for ten minutes while a counsellor sits beside him, saying nothing, which is the only thing the counsellor knows how to do. After the ten minutes the door is opened, and the client is invited to walk through, then hesitate in the doorway for as long as he likes.

The second technique was Controlled Yowling. Mr. Pickle was invited to express his full feelings at the door at a volume of his choosing, within the limits of what the neighbours had agreed to in writing.

Progress

By week four Mr. Pickle was able to observe the closed door for up to twenty minutes without making a sound, although he did stare at it in a manner Nurse Wobbles described as “legally significant”.

By week eight he reported that the door was no longer the enemy. It was, he said, “a polite wall that eventually gives in”. Several members of the staff found this moving, and Gerald left the room.

Outcome

The client now spends most evenings sitting outside a door, but he chooses which one, and he says that makes all the difference. He has also begun to open drawers, which we are treating as a separate matter.

Lessons for other clients

• A closed door is not a rejection, but it is a delay
• Waiting loudly is still waiting
• Sitting directly against the gap at the bottom is permitted and recommended

Pawsitive Therapy Counselling is a fictional practice and this case study is a parody. If a real person or a real animal is struggling, please speak to a qualified professional who has not read this.