A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and the effects there-of.

Their connections to the new race with a lot of gold helped Frisk in ways they didn't have any idea of, as they sought an audience with a mental health professional. The red tape which usually would hamper progress was swept aside without any of them even knowing it existed; and it was little more than a week of Toriel writing the letters that they saw the first doctor. The day was quite an event for Toriel, who found herself in the middle of a human city where she was stared at and everyone whispered wherever she went. She relied on taxi companies that Alphys found for her, spending as little time on the streets as possible.
The doctor said that they had symptoms of a couple of mental illnesses- the names of which went over Frisk's head entirely, but Toriel had made a note of them. He said that he would send them a full report, but that his recommendation was for the child to see a counsellor, and possibly to try medication. Frisk had spoken out against the latter- which he said was only an option, and one to keep in mind. The counselling, however, was agreed on, and he sent a referral to a clinic in the town near their settlement, where he knew there was a counsellor who specialised in seeing children. It wouldn't be free, but they were offered what Alphys assured them later was a very good rate. The only rub, as far as Toriel viewed it, was that she couldn't attend; Frisk was anxious as to what they would have to talk about and if they'd even be believed.

Over the two weeks between that appointment and their first with a counsellor, Frisk settled in. The schoolhouse was nearing completion, which meant they'd be joining the other children there; as such, Toriel increased their workload to ensure they wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage. They had less free time than they were used to and they spent a lot of that drawing to clear their mind, but their friends made a point of making sure they saw each other. Frisk spent at least a couple of nights each week with one or other of their friends- meaning all of them got a crash course in handling their nightmares. Undyne was surprisingly good at it; it surprised nobody but Papyrus himself, however, when Frisk's attempts to stayed with him resulted in them sneaking into Sans' room instead. Sans was only surprised to wake up to Frisk on the floor, having expected them to wake him when Papyrus proved his well-meaning ways weren't up to the task of comforting them. Asgore researched different herbal teas and managed to get Frisk to rest much more peacefully than Toriel wanted to acknowledge- even if they did get up twice in the night for the toilet whenever staying with him, due to the sheer amount of it he made them before bed. He was very eager to have Frisk stay over- even if it meant going to bed early and sharing it with a child prone to waking up. Despite everything that had happened between them, his deep voice was very good at soothing Frisk's nightmares.

The day came. All of Frisk's closest friends came to see them off; Mettaton had helped design a new top for them, in white and light blue with a vivid red tie around the waist, which they wore proudly. Asgore gave them a big hug, and whispered that he knew they would be fine; Papyrus felt the need to give them just as big of a hug, despite their squirming at his sharp bits. Undyne offered to beat up the counsellor if they upset Frisk, which was rewarded by a grin. Alphys was joining them and Toriel in the taxi, which would drop Frisk off and pick them up- they had argued that it seemed silly to pay extra for the taxi to drop Alphys and Toriel off and pick them back up, but now, they were relieved to have the company.
Finally, last moment before they set off, they looked at Sans. He winked. "You'll be fine, kid."

The counsellor was a tall, wiry elderly man, with keen eyes behind his glasses and warm skin burnished darker by the sun. They'd been to the clinic for an assessment, where they'd talked a little bit about life before the fall and about what had happened Underground; but this was the man they'd have to tell all sorts of painful things to. They were shy while he explained some of the legalities; but then his gentle questions and easy humour helped them open up, and they spent the rest of the session talking about their friends, and how much they wanted them to be happy and worried about burdening them. He had said that it would probably take a long time to "unpack everything so you can manage it better", but that it was an excellent first session. Frisk felt like he was telling the truth and almost skipped out to the waiting taxi, giving Toriel a big hug when they reached it.

There was one thing he had said that had bothered Frisk, though. They'd mentioned how there was so much they could never tell their friends, and he had asked why not. When Frisk had said they didn't want to burden them, he pointed out that friendship was give and take; when Frisk had said they wouldn't understand, he had asked how much that mattered, if they listened. Frisk hadn't been able to answer that one. He had made it seem like talking to them about their problems was a good thing for a friendship.
But would they understand? Would they even believe them? They could never, ever tell Toriel or Asgore about Flowey- nor Alphys, who had brought him into being, or Papyrus, who had been duped by him. As for their ability to not die when they were Underground-
Flowey's words suddenly flashed through their head. That last time they had seen each other, with Sans watching, uninvited and unnoticed by Frisk. What had he said? He had thought Sans was dangerous- referred to him as "causing him resets". And Sans hadn't been at all phased by the idea that the flower had killed Frisk, despite them still standing before him.

Toriel's hand on their arm jolted them out of their reverie. They had been so lost in thought, in trying to work it all out, that they'd paid no attention to the journey home. They climbed out the taxi, noticing Toriel watching them, concerned. They forced a small smile.

"I'm okay, really," they said. "But I... I have to do something."

Another transitory chapter; just quickly establishing Frisk going to counselling, and finding it to be useful. I really didn't want to dwell on the counselling itself beyond that; rather, I want to explore how it affects them.

So while the next chapter is technically the last of exploring Frisk's mental health, this is the last with such a heavy focus on it.
And Sans only kidnapped one of the chapters of this arc- so far!

As ever I would love to hear any thoughts or feedback. I'd love to hear if people are enjoying it!

-Ren