FRC: Therapy Rooms

"A Safe Place to Talk and Feel"

How We Do It

Privacy, safety and warmth are key components of a therapy room. Each therapist or intern who uses the room should be responsible for cleaning it up at the end of each session. Hanging an "in session" sign on the door will eliminate interruptions.

• Privacy A safe, confidential space to talk about serious personal and family issues is essential in a family resource center. This can be a challenge in small, busy FRCs where many rooms are used for multiple purposes.Thin walls or dividers make having personal conversations difficult. Some FRCs buy inexpensive sound machines that produce "white noise" to block out or muffle conversations. It is also crucial to train staff and volunteers about the importance of confidentiality.
• Safety Scheduling can be a key safety issue. One FRC struggled with how to ensure safety to victims of domestic violence who utilized their facility while also providing batterers treatment groups. Communication between the providers of these services, and a special code for victims and batterers in the scheduling book, was developed so that their paths did not cross at the center.
• Warmth Therapy rooms need to be comfortable for the therapist and client. Homey lighting, rugs and carpets, tissue boxes, comfortable furniture, and warm colors all contribute to creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Helpful Links

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org

This comprehensive web page includes recent research on children and adolescents, practical tools for working with complex issues such as suicidality, and information about upcoming conferences and legislation.

California Board of Behavioral Sciences
www.bbs.ca.gov

All clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists are licensed through this board. If you have interns or licensed clinicians at your FRC, this web site is a must for learning about current legislation regarding supervision, confidentiality and other key issues. The site also contains a listing of therapists who have had disciplinary action taken against them.

National Association of Social Workers
www.naswdc.org

Job listings, an ethics statement, current policy relating to children and families, and a listing of national conferences can be found on this page. The NASW is the largest organization of social workers in the world and often an influential player in the policy arena.