Dallas, Texas

"Nothing really happened. I was just reminded of all of the reasons why JR and I left Southfork to start a new life and I was reminded why it's not always helpful to assume that having good intentions is enough to change the reality of a situation. Jock controls everything, whether he's trying to or not, and I hate it…" Listening as Sue Ellen spoke vaguely and then sighed to herself, Doctor Williams nodded commiseratively and quelled his own desire to sigh as he quietly flipped back through his notes. Sue Ellen still hadn't quite explained what exactly her father-in-law had done or said, however, from his past experience with her, he had a feeling that it didn't really matter whether it was something big, or something small, because the emotional impact on Sue Ellen would be the same either way. She felt things strongly and it appeared that although she did try hard to communicate her feelings when it came to her relationship with her husband and the Shepard side of her family, her communication with the greater Ewing family was much more subdued. If she wanted anything to change though, she had to be stronger and more direct. Subtle gestures and good intentions meant nothing if the recipient wasn't paying attention to her.

Clearing his throat, Doctor Williams looked his patient in the eye and hoped she would understand that what he was about to say wasn't intended to upset her, but to empower her and spur her into action. "Sue Ellen, if I may…" pausing for a moment, he then continued, "do you remember back when you and JR first started coming to me as a couple? In one of our first sessions we sat here and discussed why Ewing Oil and Jock Ewing had so much power and control over your lives? In that session I posed the question to JR; I asked him to think about why was it that you could both felt comfortable putting your mother in her place when you felt that she was being demanding or disrespectful, but to do the same to his own father seemed unimaginable? JR told me that his thoughts and actions on that topic were related to respect, fear, social position and a number of other things. For JR, it was and I imagine still is a large part of his identity being John Ross Ewing Jr., son of Jock Ewing, heir to the Ewing business and fortune. I have a few notes written here that related to the way JR saw your relationships with your parents as similar but also different. The way he sees things, where you were trying to please your mother for reasons related to her selfishness and greed, he did it for his entire identity and life".

"Now, I don't want to turn this into a session where we discuss JR in-depth and without his knowledge, because I do believe there has been a lot of progress personally and for you two as a couple recently, however, I wanted you to be reminded of that conversation. I want to pose the same question to you that I posed to JR months ago. The context is not the same, because we were discussing something much more specific the last time we had this conversation, however, I do believe it relates. I want you to consider it and then answer me, don't feel like you have to rush. Why it that you feel comfortable and confident enough to put your mother in her place when you feel that she's being demanding, rude, disrespectful or just plain unkind, but to do the same to your father-in-law is such a challenge? You've done it before and you should be very proud of yourself for the way that situation turned out. Jock may have reacted badly to your and JR's joint request to remove the morality clause from his Ewing Oil contract, however, in the end, you got what you wanted and the world didn't end. Additionally, you also spoke up when you and JR decided that living at Southfork wasn't best for your family, and when you decided allowing the Southfork Ranch business to work on your land wasn't something you were interested in at this point. I believe you also once told me about a conversation you had with your father-in-law regarding the way he speaks to and about your son, reiterating the fact that you and JR are John Ross' parents and that's something that needs to be respected".

"Sue Ellen, you are strong, much stronger than you allow yourself to remember and believe sometimes. I don't doubt that JR has a whole separate set of very personal thoughts and feelings about whatever happened during your visit to Southfork last night, but JR is only half of your marriage and he's none of you personally. You were prepared to apologise to Jock last night, that's very admirable and I commend you for having the insight to not only acknowledge, but want to remedy the situation you saw as wrong. Now, tell me, what exactly did Jock say last night that made you change your mind about saying anything at all to him? Moreover, what exactly is stopping you from confronting the things you find offensive or upsetting? I'm not suggesting that you make a scene at dinner in front of the whole family; I know social politeness is very important to you, and I appreciate that you're not entirely comfortable with everyone knowing everything about your life. I do want you to consider and answer me this though, what's the worst that could happen if you were just honest and voiced your true feelings? You and JR are adults; you don't live at Southfork; JR is legally entitled to Ewing Oil and seems to be a dedicated and well capable businessman; and you probably have some very fair points that he would do well to be reminded of. Above all else though, family should be able to speak to each other without it always being tense or uncomfortable. It's not unreasonable for you to want to live like adults and expect to be treated as adults; I do have to say though, it is bordering on unreasonable to allow him to walk all over you and dictate your behaviour, and for you to say nothing and then get upset that he continues to act the way he does. You have set boundaries in your life before and I believe it's time to do so again. JR needs to be a part of whatever plan you come up with, because he is involved, but I want you to consider it for yourself first. A communicative, respectful relationship doesn't just happen, it takes work and sometimes, although it's scary or it seems unfair, you have to make the first move. In this case, it's complicated, because this isn't the first time you've had issues and concerns, but instead of suffering silently this time, I want you to come up with a plan to tackle it and then move past it. First though, please do consider the question I asked you earlier and with that answer then consider everything else".

To be continued…