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Imagine spending your work days in a space that helps you feel calm, happy, and productive. A space that your clients look forward to going to every week. Updating your therapy office décor can make that happen!
If you’re finding yourself stressed and overwhelmed, outdated décor and a lack of the right organization tools could be part of the problem. According to research, many people waste time and energy if their work environment is poorly designed.
Therapy office décor has most definitely changed over the years. It’s 2022, and the times of bare walls, neutral-colored furniture, and a single ticking clock within a therapy room are gone! In the past, some therapists may have worried that too much “personalization” in a therapy room could be distracting for the client. But that doesn’t have to be the case!
Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Behavior Analysts, and Psychologists: No matter your specialty area, spending a little time updating your therapy room can go a long way!
An office that is tidy, organized, and incorporates elements of your style can be seen by your clients as a positive reflection of your personality. It can also speak to your competency as a professional. And that means your clients may develop a stronger connection to you and commitment to continuing therapy.
Whether you go for a warm and welcoming look or a bright and fun feel, we’ve compiled the top trending therapy décor elements. Consider this your guide for creating a space that can help you be more efficient and help your clients improve their outcomes!
Choose the Right Colors
A good starting place when updating your therapy décor? Choose a general color scheme.
Because you’ll spend several hours of your day within those four walls, it’s important to select colors that you like. At the same time, consider what would appeal to most of your clients.
Another factor to consider when choosing a color scheme for your therapy office is how you want your clients to feel when they are there.
That’s right. Studies have shown that the colors you are surrounded by can affect your behavior. For example, blue can stimulate the mind. If you’re working from a home office that could use some sprucing up, painting the walls blue could improve your productivity!
Yellow can encourage clients to be more optimistic. Red stimulates the physical senses and could be a good choice for incorporating into a Physical Therapy office. The color green has been said to bring balance and calmness. A simple green abstract painting or green accents on your desk can be a nice way to incorporate that color (and energy!) into your office space.
How bright or deep the colors in your office are is another factor to think about when choosing a look for your decor. Softer, more subdued colors can bring a more relaxed feel. Something that you might appreciate during a busy work day. A mental health therapist might also want to encourage this in his or her therapy office.
More saturated colors can be more highly stimulating. If you run a high-energy pediatric Speech, OT, or PT practice, this can create an inviting, fun space that kids will love to come to week after week.
Working from home? If your business includes treating clients over teletherapy from a home office, consider neutral, cool tones. Colors that have been shown to stimulate mental activity and energy toward work include sage green, beige, dusty rose, and smoky white.
To recap, consider the following factors when choosing a color scheme for your therapy office:
- What colors do you enjoy?
- What emotions do you want to cultivate during your work day?
- How do you want your clients to feel when they are in your therapy office?
- What behaviors do you want to evoke from yourself and your clients?
Furnish with Comfort and Functionality in Mind
Now that you’ve chosen a few colors that you’d like to incorporate into your therapy office decor, it’s time to find the furniture that will go in!
A Personal Desk
You’ll need to have a desk to place a computer or laptop and comfortably complete daily documentation. When choosing what type of desk to go into your therapy office, consider what is trending right now.
Furniture that is in line with current trends can convey to your clients that you stay up to date in different areas, including style and possibly therapy practices.
One current trend for this new year? Natural materials.
A natural wood desk is both classic and current. Steel or stone accents can even be included to bring a more modern feel.
When choosing the size of your desk, think – can you manage with something small and simple? Or do you have the space and the need for more desk space to place client charts, paperwork, and other materials while you work? Then you might consider something with a little more surface area or drawers.
Either way, think sleek, simple, and modern to stay on-trend.
No matter if you’re working from home or going into the office, a standing desk is something to consider. Standing desks have gained a great deal of popularity over the last couple of years. And for good reason!
It’s been suggested that working from a standing desk can improve everything from posture to chronic body pain, and even increase your energy and focus at work!
Sensory Friendly Seating
To help clients feel comfortable and focused during sessions, therapy office decor should be functional.
If you’re a therapist working with children, that means having seating available that can help clients remain seated to complete therapy activities when they need to. Luckily, there are several options that kids will love!
Colorful floor cushions like these have textures that can help give children the sensory input that their bodies need to stay focused on other tasks. (Tip: Children can sit on these cushions on a chair when seated at a therapy table or on the floor during play-in sessions!)
A Comfortable Couch
If you are a mental health therapist, then a couch for your clients will be on your list when furnishing your office!
Try to strike a balance between something comfortable for your clients but that also doesn’t look too worn in. Stay up to date with decorating trends by adding a few simple throw pillows. A little color and a mix of textiles can add a big impact in making a therapy office look clean and finished!
Wall Accents
Remember when we said that adding a few of your personal touches to your therapy office can be a good thing? It’s true!
Adding a few pieces of wall decor is the perfect way to do that.
Go on online and search sites like Etsy or Minted for artwork that you can purchase, then frame and hang in your office. While you don’t want your therapy office to look cluttered, you also want to make it somewhere warm and inviting for your clients. Not to mention, yourself!
Another way to spruce up bare wall space while also adding a little personalization is by framing a print of one of your favorite quotes; one that could also inspire your clients.
If you are a pediatric therapist, look for simple yet fun wall decor that even your smallest clients will like looking at. Decor-like large letters spelling out PLAY on the wall can help your office stay trendy. It can also help your clients see your therapy office as a space that’s exciting to come to. And more motivation can mean improved client outcomes!
Accessories and Organization Tools
Remember how we said that therapy office decor should be functional?
When styling your therapy office, look for accessories and organization tools that will make your life as a therapist a little easier and will add color and life to your room!
For a pediatric therapy office, we love this brightly colored 10-drawer rolling cart. It can help make the most out of a smaller space and is great for organizing worksheets, client files, and smaller therapy materials.
When you use visually-pleasing organization tools like this, you can find the paperwork and materials you need easier and faster. That leaves more time for focusing on therapy with the client!
Clear file storage paired with some colorful file folders can help you keep clients’ information confidentially stored while incorporating colors that match the rest of your office decor.
One More Therapy Office Must-Have
There is one more therapy office must-have that we recommend; a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platform that helps you manage several aspects of your practice.
The offers a one-stop solution to the clinical, financial, and scheduling needs of a practice that provides teletherapy. All through a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platform. All of those aspects managed online means less clutter and papers around your office and more pleasing space to work in for you and your clients!
