An LCSW has been utilizing one of our meeting rooms on an hourly basis to meet clients. We have a full time office coming available that she would like to take in order to see clients. The offices are less private than the meeting room and are not sound blocking. She says she has no concerns regarding privacy, HIPAA, etc. and would be ok to sign off on any liability or other waivers.
Stacks Co. members are primarily freelancers, remote workers, tech workers, startups, creatives, and other entrepreneurs.
My concerns are regarding privacy and comfort for her clients, as well as our members. I wouldn’t want folks to feel like they have to be extra quiet or otherwise infringing on privacy when there is therapy in session. I’m planning to check this with current members who have adjacent offices.
Any insights or experiences with therapist/counselor members utilizing full time offices to see clients?
I had a contract with a counseling center before opening my coworking space and learn of white noise machines that counselors/therapists use for privacy. They are placed on the floor, right outside the counseling room door, and work well.
I use these gadgets at my coworking space for the private meeting room and the conference room to provide both privacy for the session inside the room and concentration for coworkers on the other side.
We have several therapists and/or counselors using our space (in Baltimore) in private offices. I was also concerned at first but it turns out that there is enough general activity and background noise that no one really notices. We do have glass inset doors so we have been utilizing paper accordian screens taped up temporarily to provide more privacy and no one really pays any attention. We have several lounge/open areas which also helps so the clients aren’t waiting directly outside the therapists’ doors.
One thing that we didn’t think of ahead of time that quickly became an issue was to have extra tissues on hand!
My coworking space has a lot of therapists and there is great ways to block sound that isn’t too cost prohibitive. I use sound machines outside of the door and I use nightingale sound machine plugs inside the room. Most of the time this works. You can also get sound blocks to put above the hanging ceiling on the walls if they don’t go all the way up past the hanging ceiling. Sound typically will travel through the ceiling or air vents. Message me if you want more tips on the hacks I’ve used to help with sound issues.
