The smell of baking bread and the pungent scent of brewing coffee wafts upstairs to the box-shaped loft at the L & L Market where Scott Lubbock listens to people for a living. People don’t come to him for formal therapy, but rather show up to talk, unload or vent whatever is on their minds.
His operation, known as “All Ears — A Listening Place,” has been open for more than a year, but Lubbock said he has seen an increase in clients in the past two weeks.
Lubbock attributes the influx to people’s emotional reactions to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“I am definitely seeing more people because of that,” he said. “The activity spike is related to how terrifying that event was for people.”
Lubbock said client reactions to the events have been varied. To his surprise, he said people coming in to talk have not necessarily been directly related or connected to the tragedy.
“When the terrorist attacks first happened, I saw it as a compact event,” he said. “Each person that has come in to talk about the events has had a different connection to it.”
He said clients’ worries have varied widely, from concerns about the families who lost relatives to pending plans for American foreign policy overseas.
“What I’ve learned from this is that an event happens and you can’t make assumptions about where people are at in their reaction to it,” he said.
Lubbock has practiced listening to people for some time, first as a teacher and then as a counselor. He worked with alcohol and drug abuse clients for 10 years at Prevention and Recovery Northwest in Eugene. He started All Ears more than a year ago, with the intent of fulfilling a dream he had always had.
“I’m a listener,” he said. “It is one of those life dreams that develops and grows on you and you know if you ever have the chance to do it, you will.”
He began the service to simplify his life, planning on running it for a year at first and then renewing his lease for another two years in order to continue the business. His friend, Bud Fitzgerald, said Lubbock succeeds as a listener because of his personal attributes.
“He’s very compassionate,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s more of a healer.”
To Fitzgerald, Lubbock’s listening fills a void missing in today’s society.
“In our society, there’s been a trend to not engage with each other,” Fitzgerald said. “[Lubbock] re-establishes that interpersonal contact, which is extremely valuable.”
Although Lubbock accepts a minimum of $5 or more for up to an hour of listening time, he did not charge clients who needed to talk about the Sept. 11 attacks last week. While he does not advertise or promote himself as a therapist, he said for clients who want feedback, he will suggest additional resources or techniques to try.
“The biggest difference [from a therapist] is that my starting point is just to ask people where they want to start, and they share their stories with me,” he said. “I just listen to make sure that’s what people want, and if people seem stuck but are not done talking yet, then I ask questions.”
Lubbock said his biggest hurdle in running a listening service is to continually remind himself not to interrupt or offer suggestions.
“Through the experience of hanging out the sign and sitting in the chair, I’ve learned to keep telling myself that your opinion, your thoughts don’t matter,” he said. “Just to keep listening.”
Don Kahle, the publisher for the Comic News, supports Lubbock’s listening service by publishing a free ad for All Ears each week.
“Our bailiwick is we think outside the box,” he said. “If he’s courageous enough to let people pay him whatever they can afford, then we decided to give him the same deal he’s giving everyone else.”