Keeping Cool - The Trauma Centre Reception Desk

Norma Neethling’s is the friendly face and warm voice that has greeted thousands of traumatised clients, visitors and colleagues to the Trauma Centre. An observant visitor, someone who drove her friend to a session and waited for her in reception, watched Norma in action for a while. She noticed how many people came in and all the demands for her attention, and then she remarked at how professional and in control Norma appeared to be all the time. Norma says, “I feel that what she noticed is correct; no matter how upset I am, I never show how I am feeling. I have to be friendly and make everything OK. It is very nice when someone notices and acknowledges what I do.”

"The Right Place"

“Something very special like that happened once” Norma continues, “a blind woman came in to the Centre. She was confused and really not sure if she was in the right place. I asked her to sit down anyway and went to make her a hot drink. While I was gone, she told Olga who replaced me, that just from the empathy in my voice, she knew she could relax. This had to be the right place!

Norma says that it is gratifying being in reception and seeing the change on people’s faces after they have had a session in the TRP room opposite. In reception, they may have been hanging their heads while waiting, and an hour later, they leave smiling. What makes her day are the children. They are often very amusing and they usually love the pond in the courtyard. Sometimes there are sad people who can’t wait and just bawl their story out to her before their session.

Challenges

When the xenophobic attacks started in May 2008 and thereafter, people came streaming in. Often they were not very satisfied with what the Trauma centre could offer them. Norma said she kept her cool. She was friendly and polite and that calms them down. Someone demanded to see whoever was above the Director and we managed to calm him down and get him to leave.

Norma is the person who releases the security gate to all and sundry. She says she is always cautious. Cars in front have been broken into and other neighbouring organisations have had break-ins and robberies. She relies on her gut feelings. When she feels threatened, she removes her rings under the desk and then lets the person in. We can call our security guard to escort people out when they are causing trouble and this does happen occasionally.

Talking to Norma about her job was illuminating – I realised how much we rely on her maturity and judgement, her split-second intuition, and her considerable social skills.