Miss Fine smiled and then sat down herself. "There, now that we have calmed down a bit I would like to talk to the both of you."
"What about?" Zoe asked. Linda looked up again. She was apparently finding the device a bit hard to put down.
"Your relationship...the two of you. I'm sensing some tension."
"There's not any tension," Linda insisted.
"Linda, denial is not healthy. Zoe...do you agree with Linda?"
"No," Zoe said. "She's always telling me what to do. And getting into my business."
"Because I'm your mother," Linda said.
"Now, Linda...if we want to build mutual respect, we have to express our feelings without fear of retribution. I want you to try an exercise. So you two can communicate better...I don't want you to act like mother and daughter. That is where all the emotional baggage is. I want you to...for this exercise, of course, to just be Zoe and Linda...two family members who care about each other..."
"What?" They both asked.
"Now, Linda...I want you to tell Zoe something that she does that bothers you. And Zoe...instead of lashing out at Linda...I want you to try to imagine how she feels and tell her...Both of your feelings are valid," she said.
Linda took a breath. Miss Fine continued to encourage her with supportive gestures. "Zoe...when you yell at me and tell me you hate me...it makes me feel.." Miss Fine put a hand on her arm. "It makes me feel...sometimes I'm afraid you really feel that way and aren't just mad."
Miss Fine smiled. "Very good, Linda. Now, Zoe...tell Linda your reaction to what she said."
Zoe looked at Miss Fine. "Do I have to?"
"Remember, you are just two people...you have nothing to be afraid of..." she said, supportively.
"I..."
"Say her name..."
"Linda," Zoe said. "I don't...really hate you." She admitted. "I...had some other stuff going on...I'm...sorry."
"That's a very healthy thing to admit," Miss Fine said, approvingly.
Both of them seemed...spent all of the sudden. Emotionally speaking.
"Now, Linda, would you mind standing right here...and Zoe, could you stand behind her?" They did so. "This is what we call a trust fall. Linda, you are going to fall back into Zoe's arms...and trust that she is going catch you. Zoe...you are going to catch Linda."
"Are you sure she will?" Linda said, trying to turn.
"Linda, eyes forward. Trust Zoe. Learn to let go."
After some prodding, Linda finally fell back and Zoe caught her.
Miss Fine looked at Linda. "How do you feel?"
"Great," she said. "I...great."
She turned to Zoe. "And you?"
"I...good too," she admitted.
"Now, Linda, Jon said you needed to go to bed when we were done, but I want you to remember...you need to trust your family."
Linda took her tablet and wandered off. The counselor turned to Zoe. "I know Linda is a bit...difficult. But you have to look out for her. Especially when Jon isn't around."
"What? Why?"
"That's what family does," she said, encouraging. "I think you are the more mature one..."
Zoe beamed. "Thank you, Miss Fine."
Jon wasn't the only one she had to build up. Zoe was a freshman at the high school, and was expecting to become a cheerleader...who were all juniors and seniors...She needed to work on her self-confidence.
And Zoe treating Linda like that would help continue to accelerate Linda's development.
Zoe already looked a bit more confident, after her encouraging words.
