One of the most iconic images that comes to mind when we think about therapy is the couch in the clinician’s office. The idea that therapy begins with a client lying down on a couch and being asked something like “tell me about your parents,” dates back to the days of Sigmund Freud, when the founder of psychoanalysis and the pioneer of talk therapy himself introduced just such a couch in his office.
Therapy has, of course, changed and evolved greatly since Freud. Someone seeking talk therapy today is much more likely to encounter a practicing therapist schooled in cognitive-behavioral therapy than a psychoanalyst steeped in the vernacular and the viewpoints of the field’s founder (some of which may feel antiquated today or have fallen out of common practice). But one thing has remained constant through therapy’s evolution: the desire to create comfort. Because comfortable clients are more open to discussing deeply personal matters, and those discussions are the starting point for the healing that people come to therapy to do.
Just as in other healing professions like medicine and dentistry, new technology and new methodologies have reshaped the therapy office to create better experiences and better outcomes for clients. They have opened up new avenues both for how people can pursue therapy and where. By taking a look at this ongoing evolution, we can appreciate some new things a client might expect from a visit to a therapist’s office, some cutting-edge features a clinician might want to add to a practice, and new places where therapy is taking place—going beyond the comfy couch.
Design and architecture experts have, in recent years, identified ways to turn the therapy office into an environment that, from the moment a client walks in the door, feels as relaxed as it should. An article published by the American Psychological Association explores research on office design elements proven to create a stress-reducing ambiance that actively improves client-therapist relationships. These include:
Having wooden furniture with a natural grain surface in the office, rather than glass or metal (though there appears to be a hard limit, with wood grain having less success at soothing if more than 45 percent of the room is furnished with it.)
But it’s not just the therapy office proper where we’re seeing more therapeutic spaces emerge.
In areas where people are recognizing the importance of therapy outside of therapist visits, spaces are being redefined to promote and facilitate healing in everyday environments.
Schools, for instance, can be chaotic environments, tough on kids with anxiety or sensory issues. This is leading to more schools implementing “calming rooms.” Such rooms are closed-off spaces that feature soothing design elements and quiet environments, which allow students experiencing acute anxiety to separate themselves from their day-to-day stressors.
And for adults at particular risk of mental health crises in under-served areas, non-profit organizations are beginning to open up drop-in therapy rooms adjacent to housing projects. The aim is to allow those experiencing a crisis to visit a trained, certified therapist to deescalate the situation rather than having to go to the ER.
Technology is, naturally, also playing a big role in the new world of therapeutic spaces, creating the most radical change in where a client can expect to talk to a therapist.
One of the biggest evolutionary developments the therapy office has seen in the last five years may be closer to a revolutionary one. With the advent of telehealth, a client no longer needs to visit an office for a therapy session. This can prove especially helpful for people uncomfortable with the idea of visiting the office, those who live far from a therapist they like, or those whose busy schedules rule out a weekly or bi-monthly hour-long office visit. It also lets clients who enjoy the in-person therapy experience still have a telehealth session if they happen to be pressed for time one week.
There’s another new tech innovation, too, being used by more and more therapists, to improve a sense of comfort both inside and outside the office, in a way that can make any therapeutic environment a more effective one.
One of the biggest potential sources of discomfort a person experiences when visiting a therapist is the sense of not knowing what to do. Confusion over how to proceed and what to say, or anxiety over what to expect, can put people off from seeking out therapy in the first place, or make them give up on it quickly. That’s why virtual client onboarding solutions are among the most useful technological developments emerging in the field.
When a client begins going to a therapist that uses onboarding, that client receives access to expert-created video content that explains everything they need to know about how to pursue therapy, work past hurdles, and gauge success. They can review it at any time in their therapy journey, too, so they’re always in the right mindset about how to talk to their therapist.
Mindset can play at least as much a role in comfort, and in healing, as the ambiance of a room, the comfort of its furniture, or the convenience of a visit. So as the therapist’s office continues to evolve, more will use technologies like onboarding to make that therapist’s couch, or whatever piece of future furniture it ends up being, wherever it is, a comfortable place to be, talk, relax, and heal.