“The meeting”

"I am employed at a residential mental facility located in New York City. A few years ago, while working in my office, I overheard a conversation between one of the residents and a nurse. Immediately, I recognized the resident's voice, which always filled me with fear. However, what surprised me was that this particular resident rarely engaged in conversation with the staff.

Curiosity compelled me to step out of my office, and to my surprise, the resident began walking towards me. In a pleasant manner, I greeted him and asked how he was doing. He responded by asking if we could talk. Taken aback by his request, I agreed and invited him inside.

However, as we approached the door, I noticed something unsettling about the way he was breathing and avoiding eye contact. This raised red flags and activated my own survival instincts related to past experiences of sexual abuse. To ensure my safety, I let him enter first while leaning against the lock to keep the door open. He entered the office and sat on a chair that I had strategically placed in the back of my office, far from my desk and next to the door for safety reasons.

I then asked him how I could assist him and if everything was alright.
Suddenly, he began staring into my eyes and his breathing became more rapid and intense. Fear overwhelmed me as he slowly started walking towards me, and I observed him attempting to unzip his pants.
Quick thinking, survival instincts, and the knowledge I had acquired from training enabled me to react swiftly. I loudly called out his name while maintaining eye contact and questioned him about what was happening. By using a louder tone, I managed to attract the attention of other staff members and residents.

One thing he noticed was that my hand was on the door lock, which made it apparent that I had the ability to close the door and prevent him from leaving. In that moment, it seemed as if he realized the gravity of the situation and snapped out of whatever state he was in. Taking advantage of the attention I had garnered by speaking loudly and engaging with the client, I got the attention of "Nurse Linda" and loudly told her that we had an upcoming meeting in a matter of minutes. "Nurse Linda," understanding the fear in my eyes, swiftly approached the office, pretending that it wasn't occupied, and informed me that our meeting had been rescheduled and that we needed to leave immediately.

Relief washed over me like a wave, and I felt my heart pounding forcefully within my chest. “Nurse Linda” drew closer to me and asked if I needed to retrieve anything from the office before leaving and if we could go together. Taking the opportunity, I apologized to the resident, stating that I had a meeting to attend. He immediately left the office.

"Nurse Linda" clearly sensed that something bad was about to happen by asking me to join her in "the meeting." I am incredibly grateful that she "understood the assignment."

I never shared the details of this incident with anyone at work. "Nurse Linda" only knew that she had intervened because she sensed immense fear in me, but she was unaware of the specific fear I harbored.

As a Peer Specialist and survivor of sexual abuse, I wholeheartedly support and embrace fellow Peers who, despite their own traumatic experiences, remain committed to making positive changes in the world."

Anonymous