The word I use most often is pivot. When things don’t go well, pivot. If the restaurant is closed, pivot. If business is down, pivot. The ability to pivot helps us to develop resilience. One of my other favorite words.
Recently my landlord told us he was selling his building. It obviously was a time to pivot and find a new space. I looked at a few and then chose one. And then the deal fell apart. I saw an office that would have worked out ok, but wasn’t what I hoped for. At the last minute, I found a great place. I’m thrilled. I’m a half block from McKinley Park, in East Sacramento.
As an added bonus, the park is fantastic for walk-and-talk sessions. It’s one mile around, and there’s a gorgeous rose garden to sit by and talk. As an alternative, a few clients walk around the park before and/or after sessions, just to think about how they’re feeling.
It’s also fantastic for what I call park sessions. Bring a chair and sit in the sun or shade and talk things through. There’s something about being outside that opens peoples’ minds in a positive way. People often say that they like how it feels more casual than sitting indoors on my couch.
I also do traditional sessions in my office. It’s a peaceful space, and an artist helped me place my photos, paintings and furniture in a way that will help people feel most comfortable and open.She said it doesn’t feel like a traditional therapist’s office. She just sits and stares into the redwood tree adjacent to my space and talks about life’s challenges.
I also do Zoom/FaceTime sessions, phone sessions and the occasional text session. I’ve also added coaching to my practice. With therapy we talk about concerns and the contributing factors. We then form strategies for making changes. Coaching is similar, except we don’t focus on the past. Instead it’s looking at changes you want to make and setting specific goals. This style is often attractive for people who want something different than traditional therapy. They can skip talking about the past and focus on solving current problems. Another advantage is that coaching isn’t restricted to people living in California. When seeing me for therapy, you must physically be in the state to hold a session. With coaching, a customer can be anywhere.
At the end of the day, I miss my old office, but I’ve been resilient and pivoted to a good space. As the dad of a client said, “You’re old space was great. But this is even better.” Come take a look.
