An Old Soul

  I did intakes intake intake interiews for two 18 year old males which were one day apart, and I was having trouble keeping them straight in my mind.  They had both had inpatient hospitalizations in the past year, had drug and alcohol issues, and histories which included tragically bad parents.  In one case the client was hospitalized on an adolescent unit ( for which he was too old), and on an adult unit (which he was too young for).  The other had just had the adolescent hospitalization, and also complained of being housed with "kids".  They both had diagnoses for major depression and were on similar medications, but one client felt the medication helped, the other thought it was not helpful.  Both of these guys were likeable, interested in getting better, and amenable to therapy (not always the case for age 18).  One had age appropriate hopes and dreams.  He wanted to go cross country to California or Colorado, maybe even Finland (because of proximity to the Arctic Circle). he had a job involving fast food and was living with grandparents.

   The other guy was different.  I even wrote in my intake notes "seems older than identified age".  This guy said he had several bad relationships with girls, but was now in a relationship that is more equal and likely to succeed. He was attending 8-9 AA meetings a week, had a sponsor, and a 6 month chip. He was able to identify triggers for relapse and had good strategies for avoiding or handling them. he was able to describe a how he resolved a difficult situation with his mother where he was respecting boundaries and taking ownership for his part of the interchange. He also had a business plan which was logical and seemed like it could succeed. There was a lot of maturity that I don't typically see in clients, but it was his eyes which convinced me that he was an "old soul". They were a milky blue and had not only seen a lot of life, but had a transcendent quality. he had seen a lot of life in his 18 years, but he seemed older than that.