Yesterday I was forced to take a pause in the middle of the day. Outside my Explore What’s Next office in Elmwood Village, just off Gates Circle, the winds howled, the snow blew, the windows rattled. Kids stayed home from school, snow plows moved methodically throughout Western New York, driveways needed to be shoveled, hot chocolate greatly appreciated. Several of our EWN Therapists, usually in the office, chose to work from home on Zoom.
So I had the offices to myself, and it was kind of great.I’m often caught up in my day-to-day work activities. Seeing clients is my priority. I also do volunteer work with PAWNY, attend to my admin work for EWN, but today was different. Today I took this free time to walk around the space. I took the free time to walk around the space. I made myself a cup of coffee, sat in the waiting area where my clients usually sit. It was great to see it with fresh eyes. What would I feel if I were new to therapy and I walked in, anxious about not knowing what to expect?
Welcome To Explore What’s Next Waiting Room… A Place to Exhale
It was nice to acknowledge that I would feel pretty good. “Ah”, I would exhale and feel relief. I may not know why right away. Was it the soft music? The herby scent in the air? The soft dove grey on the walls? The blues and burnt orange of the rugs and paintings? Maybe it was the inviting soft furniture and pillows. Gotta say the parking lot off the street is a big bonus! Even the winter light coming through the wooden blinds was lovely. The feeling was inviting. Inviting to stay, have a seat, relax. You’ll be cared for here.
A Warm Safe Space, Not A Clinic
Warm. It felt warm. And safe. More like a home, not a clinic. We at Explore What’s Next pride ourselves in creating this environment where our work and our clients can bloom. The space that we ask people to meet us in is so important. You trust us to take care of you, to help you, to be safe with us. What you see, what you feel on first setting foot in our space is the beginning of our journey together.
Welcome to Explore What’s Next.
