This summer, the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City decided to do something remarkable: tell the truth to its riders, immediately. After years of issuing vague messages to commuters about the cause of delays, the M.T.A. now directs train conductors to be specific. In other words, if there is a disruption in service because of a feral cat on the train, just say it:
A-train conductor at W4: "There is a feral cat inside the train, police are trying to remove the cat, when they do, we can move again"
— Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) August 3, 2017
Journalist Maggie Astor experienced the M.T.A.’s new transparency firsthand when a conductor announced to her train that they were stopped because a person had jumped on the tracks in front of them. Astor writes:
Several people gasped. A woman near me jerked her head up from her phone, wearing an expression of horror. We riders did something not normally acceptable: We made eye contact with one another.
A train conductor or operator speaking of a death on the tracks without euphemism: We had never heard that before.
He was speaking with supervisors about how to proceed, the voice continued. There would be major delays. He was very sorry.
Transparency, as we know from the therapeutic relationship, is vital. Risks in communication by client and therapist have to be taken for the relationship to grow and ripen. It’s a mutual cultivation necessary for trust and must be examined by all involved, consciously, and with care. After all, we’re in this together, trying to get somewhere, not utterly separate from each other.
Lately, we’ve been reminding ourselves here at Open Path Psychotherapy Collective about the value in organizational transparency, too. To let a slant of light in — the human voice — rather than a vague or canned response. To admit error. To remind ourselves of what we’re doing well (this can sometimes be as difficult as admitting error). To let go of any personal sense of ownership of the conversation about Open Path. As Open Path evolves, recruiting more therapists from different modalities and backgrounds and reaching a more diverse and larger number of clients, we will keep transparency and human dignity in mind as we drive the train.
The M.T.A.’s new communication tactic comes as the New York City Transit Subway declines. An alarming increase in delays, ridership, mechanical problems, and crumbling infrastructure have made using the train and getting anywhere on time a feat for New Yorkers.
Conveying what’s really happening on the tracks to train riders might, in the context of a deeply challenged system, seem like a small thing. But it is a radical one.
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Photograph: “Subway Riders,” by Susan Sermoneta. Used in accordance with a CC BY-NC 2.0 license.
