So you are ready to get into private practice, right? You have plenty of things to budget for during this process. So in this post, several therapists shared their process, to help you out a bit with tips for decorating your office on a budget. You can have a comfortable office for you and your clients, without blowing the budget.
This blog post was inspired by Heather who posted the following question in our Facebook group – “I need some suggestions on good places to look for furniture for my counseling space. If you have a picture of your space I would love to see it”
So let’s see what others suggest!
Kimberly Mazella, LPC, www.straightforwardcounseling.com, is a big fan of Craigslist! She used Craigslist to decorate some of her office and decorated her waiting room with furniture from Crate and Barrel.
Another therapist, name withheld, stated office furniture stores have been a good resource for her. She also mentioned yard sales and Target. She even had a friend repaint over an old canvas picture, to decorate her office space.
Maria Myers, LCSW, www.mariamyerslcsw.com, used a remnant rug from Home Depot. The furniture was a floor model with a scratch on the back from a “discount store”. In the waiting room, the wood folding chairs with cushioned seats were obtained from Costco.
Marni Goldberg, LMFT, LPCC, mindfulmatterscounseling.com, got most of her furniture from a large consignment shop in San Diego called Consignment Classics.
Here’s Marni’s chair.
Carla Bradley-Stewart, Ed.D, LCPC, www.clsservices.org, also furnished her office for less. During her sessions she sets her lights on a dimmer.
Shalanda Moten, Ed.D, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, www.resilienttherapy.com, is in Florida and loves West Elm furniture.
Peggy Haymes, LPC, www.haymescounseling.com, has family history behind her office furniture. The loveseat for clients came out of her dad’s old office and was re-covered. The lamp behind the loveseat was her grandmother’s. Her chair was taken from her house. The bookcase was the one that was in her room as a child. Her side table, footstool, and vanity (behind chair) were built by her father and inherited. How cool is that?!
Now you have a few great ideas!
Maybe you even thought of a few ideas of your own, after reading this post.
Now, go forward and decorate that new office. Get creative and have fun!
What about male counselors and how they decorated their offices?
Hi Richard,
I would really like to see that. I’m sure there is some variation. Unfortunately, I did not receive any submissions from male therapists. However, I would definitely like to show off my male colleagues offices too, if pictures and descriptions are sent in.
It should be noted that this great topic got started in our FB group. So it could also be that there weren’t enough male therapists in the group who could contribute or that the question applied to. I’m still open to showing male therapist offices if my male colleagues want to send the information my way!
I’ve gotten some beautiful antique wooden office furniture and lamps from Ryan’s Relics in Baltimore, Md. Great prices.
I’ve gotten some great stuff at World Market and also Overstock.com for good prices. Also, I’ve discovered a few consignment stores in my area that specialize (don’t we therapists love this word?) in upscale furniture, so that’s been helpful too.
Hi Amy! Those are great recommendations as well. I love the World Market near my house.