If you are a counsellor and looking to create a room at home to see your clients, you ought to consider your space in the garden. You will have all the benefits of working from home, but with none of the distractions and be able to offer your clients a tranquil space in which to talk.
In this article, we will highlight the things to consider when buying a garden room as a counselling space. We also explore the space, different size garden rooms might offer.
A professional environment with all the comforts of home
Recently, we were chatting with a psychotherapist. They were telling us about the challenges of creating a comfortable environment for their clients. They wanted the professionalism that an office space provided but the comfort and informality that a room at home would offer.
They went on to say how inviting clients into your home environment can be difficult as you need to keep clear lines between your professional and work environments, for everyone's privacy.
This conversation got us thinking about an article on the Garden Affairs website. In the article, they talk about elements to consider when buying a garden room as a counselling space. Over the years, they have worked with several counsellers to create a therapy room.
In the article, the Garden Affairs team make some very good suggestions regarding the design of a counselling room. They include:
- Ensure it is insulated so that it can be comfortably used all year round
- Consider air conditioning to control the temperature in the room, particularly on hot days when having the doors and windows open could compromise your client's privacy.
- Use windows and doors to create a connection with the garden. Being able to look out onto the garden as you talk can be very therapeutic and offer an air of tranquillity.
- Use blinds and curtains to control the privacy levels in the room.
- Consider adding a toilet so that clients don't have to go back into the main house for comfort breaks.
You don't need a lot of space
Our conversation and Garden Affairs article got us thinking about how much space you might need to create a comfortable counselling room at home.
We have modelled up three scale variations showing how different size rooms might work.
2.5m x 2.5m room with space for two people to chat
In this example, the room is 2.5m x 2.5m. As we can see, it is a comfortable space for two people to sit in armchairs. The floor to ceiling glazing would create a lovely connection with the garden and make the space feel bigger.
5m x 4m room with cloakroom
5m x 4m is a popular size garden room. It is a good-sized space with room for a sofa and chair. We have included a w.c. in one corner, so clients wouldn't need to use the facilities in the main house. We think this scale model shows that adding a toilet needn't steal a lot of space from within the room.
6m x 4m building offering a consulting room and waiting area
This 6m wide layout would be ideal if you have a succession of clients. One client could comfortably wait while another was finishing their session. With this size building, you can have a spacious consulting room. The waiting area is not huge, but there is room for a w.c. and kitchenette for making teas and coffees.
It is relatively easy for garden room designers to add partition walls to divide up a building up like this. The configuration of the space and the final room sizes can be tailored to your needs.
We hope our scale mockups are useful for you to see the type of counselling room you could create in the garden. To learn more about building a counselling room at home, we suggest you read Garden Affairs article. You could also chat with the Garden Affairs team about your ideas on 01225 774 566
