If something really happened, how do you deal with things E reports in the future?
The thing is, dealing with E does not change whether something really happened this time or not. When E makes statements about things that happen to her, there are ways to talk to her to get at the truth. I've found that when she is telling the truth, her story stays consistent. When she is not telling the truth, as I draw her out, ask for more details, get her talking, details vary widely. It's like she's her own game of telephone. If she comes to me needing emotional support, I give it to her. It's a weird little dance sometimes. I mean, if she tells me she couldn't sleep last night because her baby was crying all night, I'm not going to say, "So take the batteries out of your damn doll" - I'm going to ask her about what was really on her mind. If she is angry that her job coach doesn't help her but only bosses her around when I know that her job coach is not allowed to offer physical assistance but only verbal prompts - I'm not going say, "Dumbass, you have to follow instructions!" nor am I going to call her day program to complain about their job coaches. I'm going to talk to her about how every job has its frustrations and different ways to deal with feeling frustrated while doing what we have to do. Incidentally, she has said nothing to me about what happened with DC and I have observed no changes in her moods and behavioral patterns since the report was made.