What products or times do you have in your office?
A counseling office should provide those that you serve with a supportive environment that connects to their therapeutic experience.
In my office, Santos Counseling PLLC. The theme is entirely focused on giving those that we serve the opportunity to take a break from life and relax. The process of relaxation takes place the moment a person walks into the office.
In your counseling office, consider the following questions:
- What experience do you want your clients to have?
- Think about how you want your clients to feel when they are waiting in the waiting room?
- How can your office help clients transition into the counseling setting?
Items to have in your counseling office:
Kleenex. A counseling session can go from laughter to crying. As such, think about the needs of those that you serve. Having a Kleenex nearby helps to assure your client that they are in a supportive and safe place. An environment that emotional expression is welcomed.
Drinks. Does your counseling office provide clients with beverages? At Santos Counseling PLLC, we as a practice take time to provide those we serve with coffee, tea, and water. As a practice, our goal is to ensure that everyone is comfortable. Providing support can extend beyond the talk therapy session and to accommodating persons in the office.
Snacks. Everything from candy to peanut butter bars. Candy can be served during holidays and standard bars on average days. Those that you serve in your counseling office are often running left and right across town. From time to time, they may be sitting in your office on an empty stomach. Providing light snacks shows that you care and want people to feel supported and comfortable.
Music. I love music. I everything from the sounds of nature to jazz. Often, I have clients sitting outside the office enjoying the music playing. They share how soothing it is. That the music helps to transition them from the outside world to the counseling session.
Scents. Smells can help people relax and connect to a certain place. Consider using seasonal smells such as pumpkin for fall.
Television. Consider how your clients would feel if they sat in the waiting room of your office while watching nature scenes. The television would show scenes from mountain tops to the amazon forest. A TV, similar to music or scents, can give clients a comfortable space to exit the outside world and transition to counseling.
Workbooks. Your office can provide those that you serve with a wide range of free workbooks. All the way from journals to affirmations. The workbooks do not have to be complex or overly expansive. The workbooks give your clients a space to have a helpful tool to utilize on their own accord or to interconnect with the work taking place in the counseling session.
