As therapists we spend a lot of time in our offices. We’re not in meetings, or conference rooms, or by the copy machine or water cooler. For most of us, we’re either with our patients or catching up on other work in between sessions; in other words we’re in our office all the time! But how often to we reflect on how this impacts us and impacts our work?
At Wellspring, we believe that having the right office space is a critical component of self-care. As therapists we need to do all we can to take care of ourselves, to prevent burnout and ensure we can be fully present for our patients each and every time. Indeed, the APA itself has acknowledged the importance of self-care: http://www.apapracticecentral.org/ce/self-care/acca-promoting.aspx, as has the NASW: http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2008/11/self-care.asp.
Actually, the work environment has often been considered an aspect of self-care, but usually with a focus on hospitals, clinics and other institutional settings. Wellspring believes self-care is just as critical in private-practice, and many of the same principles apply here too. So we have this in mind in what we offer to you as clinicians. Here’s what we offer:
The Right Office: We offer a variety of office sizes, full-time and part-time, fully furnished, partly furnished or empty, all so you can find the right fit for you. Our offices are professionally soundproofed for privacy, but also for your peace and tranquility, and all have internal controls so you can fully regulate the temperature. Based on our research, 88% of respondents say having at least one window is very important, so we do our best to provide this, and even design internal offices so they can get some natural light.
The Right Neighborhood: We put a lot of thought into the locations of our Practice Centers, and offer several sites so you can pick the one that most suits you. Not only do shorter commutes help with work-life balance, but we also understand how regenerative it can be to take a short walk in a great neighborhood, get a breath of fresh air, or be able to stop by your favorite coffee shop. Take a look at this article, Why 15 Minute Post-Meal Walks may help save your life by Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, CSSD, a nutritionist, personal trainer and health educator.
Communal Space: All of our Practice Centers include larger group rooms and kitchenettes where clinicians can congregate, chat, share a cup of coffee or just get to know each other. Group rooms also allow for suite-wide get-togethers or educational talks. We may even organize informal grand rounds at each site!
Greater Sense of Community: In addition to offering communal space, our internal communications portal allows you to communicate with your colleagues seamlessly. We even introduce new tenants when they join the suite, so you can have a sense of who your neighbors are and can really get to know each other. Naomi Tosic, who runs Sydney based, The Office Space, states the importance of community in her article on ShareDesk.net, The Importance of Community in Collaborative Space.
The Support You Need: At Wellspring, all of our suites are professionally designed and maintained. We make sure the Wi-Fi, plumbing, heating and AC all work, so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff. And if there ever is a problem, you always know you can contact our support staff and expect an immediate response.
Wellspring believes in you and the work you do, and we want to provide whatever we can to make sure you can do it at your best.