The Disappeared Office

 

Some mornings start like any other. You arrive, greet your colleagues, take a deep breath, and prepare your mind and heart for the people you are about to serve. That morning, I was ready for a full day of counselling — ready to listen, to comfort, to guide, and to protect the emotional well-being of my clients.

But the moment I reached my office, everything shifted.

My key turned, the door opened… and I froze.

My counselling room — the safe space where tears had fallen, where secrets were shared, where healing had begun — was gone. The desk had been moved. The chairs were missing. My files had been displaced. And in their place stood boxes, equipment, and supplies, stacked from wall to wall.

My office had been transformed into a material store, without a conversation, without a meeting, and without a word of respect.

It wasn’t the furniture that hurt. It wasn’t even the sudden change. What cut deeply was the insolence hidden in the silence — a decision taken behind my back by an administrator and a community manager, as if my work, my role, and my clients simply did not matter.

And then I saw them.

My clients, waiting in the hallway — lost, confused, and with nowhere to go.

That moment broke my heart more than anything else. Counselling is not “just a room.” It is a sanctuary. A confidential, protected space where wounded minds can breathe. Where trauma meets compassion. Where dignity is restored.

Turning it into a storage space wasn’t just poor communication — it was a message. A message that said:

“Your work is small. Your space is disposable.”

But I know this:

Respect is the foundation of every professional relationship.

Communication is a duty, especially in healthcare.

Human dignity must never be negotiable.

So I chose to speak up — calmly, clearly, and firmly. Not out of anger, but out of principle. Because silence, in moments like these, only fuels cultures where disrespect becomes normal and where patients come last.

They can move my office.

They can interrupt my schedule.

But they cannot silence my purpose, my voice, or my commitment to those I serve.

This experience reminded me of a simple truth:

> You don’t protect your dignity by staying quiet. You protect it by standing, respectfully but fearlessly, for what is right.

#RespectAtWork #PatientDignity #StandForWhatIsRight #EthicsInHealthcare #WorkplaceValues #CounsellingMatters #HumanityFirst #ProfessionalBoundaries

Antoinette NDACYAYISENGA AN, BScN candidate