Had a chat with a client who's a therapist that totally flipped how I see the chair

3 comments

3 Comments

Wait, the chair is supposed to be a silent co-therapist? That's wild to me. I'm a therapist myself and I've never once thought about my chair that way. It's just a chair I sit in to do paperwork and listen to people. Now I'm kind of freaked out because I just bought a new one that's super ugly and squeaky. Maybe I should return it and get something that doesn't sound like a dying animal when I shift my weight.

margaret_jackson731mo ago

Yeah, that reminds me of a thing I read once about how the furniture in a therapist's office isn't just furniture. It's part of the whole setup, you know? Like, the chair is meant to be a safe, steady thing that's always there the same way. It's not just a place to sit. It's a signal. It tells you that this space is different from your messy living room or your stressful job. It's built for talking. Kind of wild when you really stop to think about it.

sageross1mo ago

Margaret_jackson73 really nailed it. Now I'm picturing a therapist's chair as some kind of silent co-therapist, just sitting there holding space. My own desk chair mostly just holds my bad posture and a sense of dread about my inbox. Maybe I need to have a serious talk with it.