Hello! Welcome to a virtual tour of my favorite place.

When I was searching for my next step in the counseling field, The Hope Preserve’s style caught my eye. I remember becoming so excited about the mindfulness of the textiles, all of the plants, and the air of coziness the entire business reflected.

Now that I have my own cozy space at The Hope Preserve, I can easily say that there’s no other space I’d rather be in other than the comfort of my own home. When I am here it is like a preserved breath of fresh air that is clean, cozy, and confidential. Take a peak into the design or the room, the resources tucked away, and get a little glimpse into what I’m all about.

Mindful Design

Executive Function

At The Hope Preserve, the entire space is designed to lessen stress on your executive function.

Executive function is the part of your mind that manages unpredicted circumstances, focus, and working memory. Everyone starts each day with a limited amount of energy to put towards this and energy levels can vary dramatically between the person and the day.

Focused on providing a sanctuary for those with limited energy to put toward executive functioning, The Hope Preserve integrates clarity with design to reduce the guessing game that can occur with therapy.

For example, right as you enter there are signs to point you toward an iPad to check in.

This socially low-demand check-in lets your therapist know that you’ve arrived and is all that is required of you in this space.

While waiting for the time of your appointment, there are drinks, snacks, coloring books, blankets and cozy nooks to settle into.

Our hope is that this space can provide a rest for your mind to assist in the switch from busy daily life to the pace of therapy and self-discovery.

The clarity with signs and direction is unmatched by other offices I have been in. It can be jarring to try and navigate your way around offices. One example I’m reminded of is the moment at the doctors office where you’ve finished your appointment and they set you loose down the maze of hallways and simply say, “Bye!”

I always feel my anxiety rise as my executive function scrambles to remember how many lefts and rights I had made.

Here, each door is labeled to lower that sensation and provide clarity with where you are headed. Each therapist’s office has a picture and description to give a snapshot of what occurs inside. Staff doors have large labels and the exit has a small table for dishes, a large sign, and a plant to mark it’s point on the hallway.

Textiles and Comfort

Around the office and in my room, you’ll notice an abundance of cozy chairs, blankets, pillows, and dimmable lights. Although the temperature is comfortable year-round inside, being surrounded with these comforts helps to indicate to your system that a shift has occurred.

In the general world outside of here, many locations can trigger sensory aversions or drain us with the different lights and textures you come in contact with. Often it can feel like in order to survive we have to ignore our body signals and push through just to shop or attend appointments to care for ourselves.

Having an uncomfortable environment does not pair well with the hard internal work you may be trusting us with here at The Hope Preserve. Removing the barriers of discomfort by making accommodations assists in allowing you to have the internal space to dive into self-discovery.

In my room I have blankets, a weighted pillow, a big cozy couch, and a fluffy rug. Additionally all of my lamps- even the hand crafted ones have dimmers. Although we have the ability to turn on the big light at your request, my goal was to create a room that glows with warm light.

Resources in my Room

In my room, many of the different resources I have are directly linked to the areas of therapy that interest me the most.

Expressive Arts Therapy

I love utilizing all things creative in my room and as such I have tons of stashed art supplies scattered around. Right now these are the current supplies I have to work with for combining creativity with therapy:

Tools for working with clay
Glazes and clay
Paints and brushes
Chalk pastels
Colored pencils
Giant sketch pads for maximum creativity
Pens

If you are interested in learning more about how this might look when integrated in session check out my blog on Expressive Arts Therapy!

Brainspotting Supplies

Another area of therapy I am trained in is Brainspotting. This requires a pointer, decals (fuzzy pencil toppers) for the top, and headphones for bilateral music. I have those items ready for use when reprocessing trauma and increasing awareness of body sensations connected to experiences.

The cute but simple pencil toppers make it easier to keep your eyes focused on the Brainspotting pointer

Fidgets

My collection of fidgets can be found right next to my big red couch so that they are always in reach during session. My personal favorite is the big blue knee dough that feels similar to shaping clay.

Worksheets

In a binder by itself, I’ve collected numerous different worksheets that focus on different areas like relationships, self care, and mantras you may hear in you mind. Although they aren’t the primary tool I use, sometimes bringing them in to accompany our work helps create a visual resource your mind can come back to.

How I shine through my room

One of my favorite things about my room is the combination of art, light, and life. A cozy glowing room reminds me of good connection with others, safety, and authenticity. The more these things can interact, the more settled I feel.

I have been a potter for several years and have brought several small pieces into my room to help fill the space with interesting things to gaze at while deep in thought. Three of the lamps in my room were handmade by me with mindfulness around how the light interacts with the art and adds to the serenity of the room.

Bringing together the two sides of my life, art and therapy allows me to show up as my most authentic self to session. Although in therapy we focus on the discovery of you, I believe my room helps to communicate who I am without having to spend time chatting about it.

I am working in a place I genuinely enjoy to be in and that further promotes my ability to show up and walk with you through the tough stuff of life.

If you’d like to spend more time in my office with me you can sign up for an appointment here. I hope to meet you soon!

More about Allison, her pottery group, and her schedule

Tour My Room - with Allison