Chapter 7 - The therapist
Daniel and Mara had taken Olivia to a private child-development consultant named:
Dr. Elaine Porter.
Not a psychiatrist.
Not a court evaluator.
A licensed child psychologist specializing in attachment and early childhood.
She was legitimate.
That mattered.
Her initial notes said:
Child shows grief-related attachment behavior following maternal death. Strong bond with maternal grandfather may be protective.
Protective.
Then later notes changed.
Parents report increasing transition distress following grandfather contact.
Parents report.
Not:
Doctor observed.
Dr. Porter recommended:
Predictable schedules.
Gentle transitions.
No abrupt separations.
No punitive responses to grief behavior.
That last sentence mattered a lot.
Mara later described the garden gate as:
May you like
“Structured separation practice.”
Dr. Porter had never recommended anything like that.
