Author
Yue Xiaodong
What kind of feeling should a psychological counseling place give people? This is an issue that cannot be ignored. This chapter introduces the layout of our consulting room and its meaning. I hope it can inspire and guide you. Because psychological counseling includes not only vocal communication, but also silent communication.
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No. 5 Linden Street
There is a short street near Harvard Square in Cambridge, where Harvard University is located—— Linden Street. No. 5 on this street is an antique 3-story building that was originally used as a student dormitory. But since the 1970s, it has been the home of the Harvard University Counseling Center.
I had a two-year internship in psychological counseling here.
As soon as you enter the small building at No. 5 Linden Street, you will see a living room with several 19th-century style sofas and coffee tables. There are always several magazines such as "Tumes" and "Newsweek" as well as Harvard University's school newspaper "Crimson" on the coffee table. Sometimes, boxes of cookies are placed for guests to eat.
In the corner of the living room, there is a TV. Next to the TV, there is the only item in the house that can be proud of - a 19th-century Harvard University chair.
Students who come here to inquire must first register here and arrange a time to meet with the person. Usually, receptionists will ask if they have any special requirements for counselors, such as whether to choose a female counselor, an ethnic minority or foreign counselor, or someone who is good at certain special issues ( Consultants for issues such as anorexia, homosexuality, etc.). The reception staff are always friendly towards students and they want them to feel at home as soon as they walk in the door.
At No. 5 Linden Street, we only provide psychological consultation, not psychotherapy.
In other words, if students have problems such as personality disorders (such as narcissism), mood disorders (such as depression) or obsessive thoughts (such as anthropophobia), we will refer them to Go to Harvard University Hospital or other relevant psychotherapy clinics for treatment.
We are only responsible for general psychological and emotional consultation. This usually includes counseling for issues such as emotional frustration, unsatisfactory environment, poor interpersonal relationships, inappropriate learning methods, low self-confidence, marital conflict, anorexia, bulimia, homosexuality and other issues. Any treatment involving any psychological disorder with a pathological basis is outside our jurisdiction.
In addition to providing individual and group counseling for students studying at Harvard, we also hold various psychological counseling lectures and reports for students every semester. In addition, we also provide professional guidance to Harvard University’s 10 or so student counseling hotlines (including hotlines for undergraduates and graduate students). Typically every two or three weeks, these student hotline counselors meet with our guidance staff to discuss issues arising from their counseling sessions and receive professional guidance from us.
I have my own consulting room at No. 5 Linden Street.
I decorated it very warmly and artistically. I want people to feel relaxed and at ease as soon as they enter my room. This is very important for giving full play to the suggestive effect of psychological counseling.
When I walked into my consulting room, I saw an oil painting of the sea.
In the picture, one side is the waves of the sea, turbulent and rolling up endless waves; the other side is the calm coast with sparkling waves and the slow advance and retreat of the tide. In this contrast between movement and stillness, you will immediately feel the enlightenment of the sea on life.
This painting has been hanging here since I don’t know when. Although this room changed owners several times, everyone unanimously kept this painting. I admire the original owner's intention. He hung this painting in the house. In terms of the symbolic significance of psychological counseling on personal growth, it is really appropriate.
Underneath the oil painting is a large sofa with a milky white sofa cover covering it, giving people a sense of peace and tranquility. Diagonally across from the big sofa is a small sofa, also covered with a milky white sofa cover. Between the two sofas is a small tea table with a lamp and a box of tissues on it.
In the other corner of the big sofa is a bookshelf more than one meter high, with some of my books on it. I arranged them neatly and beautifully. There is a pot of spider plant placed on the top floor of the bookshelf, and the hanging green thread covers a corner of the bookshelf, giving it a sense of vitality and art.
Opposite the big sofa is my desk, with calendars, stationery and a stone statue of Freud neatly placed on it. When I’m tired from writing, I often look at Freud’s statue for a while. Looking at his thoughtful look, I always feel a strong force motivating me to continue exploring the infinite mysteries of the human soul.
On the white wall between the two windows, I hung a Chinese painting that I brought with me. In the painting, two birds are perched on a branch, chatting leisurely. Perhaps one of them is providing psychological counseling to the other.
The floor of the consulting room is covered with carpets, which are also light-colored and make people feel very warm. The consultation room is cleaned every day by dedicated personnel to keep it tidy and clean.
This is my consulting room: quiet, harmonious, warm, sunny, a bit like an art room, but not too exaggerated. The creation of this quiet and peaceful atmosphere has important symbolic meaning and suggestive effect on psychological counseling.
I want everyone who comes into my house to feel relaxed and comfortable. In particular, the meaning of the sea, the vitality of spider plants, and the whispers of birds have often become topics of conversation between me and the enquirers.
In this room, I have received more than 200 visiting students. Every time I receive a student, I feel an inexplicable sense of anticipation and excitement; every time I send a student away, I feel a part of myself leave with him. At the same time, I also feel that a part of him remains in my heart forever.
In this constant greeting and farewell, I feel that my consulting skills are maturing, my insight is improving, and my personality is improving.
During the 600 days and nights spent at No. 5 Linden Street, I carefully recorded my experiences after each consultation. I deeply feel that psychological counseling is essentially the art of communicating human emotions and souls. Among them, communication and understanding skills are higher than any other skills in psychological counseling. Communication and understanding are also the source of making people feel good.
At 5 Linden Street, I also meet regularly with my psychological counseling supervisor to discuss the progress of my case and accept his guidance. During this process, I was stuck or confused, had an epiphany, and sometimes had heated arguments with him. But I must admit that without his guidance, I would not have achieved the huge gains in understanding and operation of psychological counseling.
He is like a wise man in life. In a few relaxed words, he tells many profound truths about psychological counseling and even human nature. Whenever I encounter a problem in consultation, I ask myself: If Du Xun were here, how would he deal with it? This question drives me to continue to think, to understand, and to emulate him.
No. 5 Linden Street is a very inconspicuous old house near Harvard Square. Among the many modern buildings, it looks small, mediocre, ancient and out of place. However, in my mind, it is so unique and warm.
It was in this house that I learned what psychological counseling is, what spiritual communication is, what human nature is, and what love is.
No. 5 Linden Street is my eternal holy place of wisdom.
[Commentary]
What should be the first impression that a psychological counseling place gives people?
On July 16, 1994, I finally arrived in Vienna, the birthplace of the psychological counseling and therapy industry. I made a special trip to visit Freud’s former residence at No. 19 Berggasse St. to appreciate his unique charm.
When I was in Freud’s former residence, I pondered for a long time, and his famous saying echoed in my ears again and again: “Everything in this room has a symbolic meaning.”
Indeed, communication in psychological counseling settings is multi-faceted and multi-level. In addition to direct verbal and body language communication, the layout of the room, the color of the furniture, the hanging of portraits, the projection of sunlight, etc., all convey silent messages.
Psychological counseling is a process of spiritual exploration. It aims to enable the inquirer to disclose his/her secrets without reservation, vent his/her emotions, and reflect on his or her thoughts. Therefore, the arrangement and layout of psychological counseling venues must first give people a feeling of safety, peace, comfort and vitality.
This should be the first impression of a psychological counseling place.
How can psychological counseling clinics create a spiritual pure land for people?
When a person suffers from psychological trauma and mental torture, what he needs most is to find a pure land of the soul.
Psychological counseling is to provide people with such a pure land of the soul. The layout of the room should fully convey such a message, so that as soon as visitors enter the room, they will feel relaxed and relieved, want to talk about their grievances and troubles endlessly, and want to come back to this room again and again. Come.
This is the suggestive effect of psychological counseling places.
When I walked into my consulting room, the first thing I saw was an oil painting of the sea. It has turbulent waves on one side and calm waves on the other, symbolizing the ups and downs of life, which makes people feel a sense of vicissitudes of life. The large and small sofas below are placed at an angle, allowing people to look directly at each other during conversation, or to look sideways at them.
This is extremely important for body language communication in psychological counseling.
There is always a tissue box on the coffee table in my consulting room. This is very convenient for the inquirer to wipe away the tears that may flow out when venting his personal mental pain. It can make the inquirer feel the silent concern of the counselor. The sofa covers and carpets are both light-colored and harmonious, which can also make people relax. The spider plant on the top of the bookshelf is not only an artistic display, but also a symbol of vitality.
Among the two sofas, I usually invite the inquirer to sit on the small sofa, because it faces the Chinese painting of birds talking to each other. I want the inquirer to experience the peaceful atmosphere reflected in the painting again and again through unintentional gaze.
All of these are trying to make the inquirer have a special impression and good impression of my consulting room.
This is the "pure land of the soul" that I create for those who come to inquire.
What message should the layout of the psychological counseling room convey?
Since everyone’s aesthetics are different and their house layouts are also different in style, how can the psychological counseling room itself convey a message of hope, peace, vitality and perseverance? This is a question for everyone. This is a question that psychological counselors should seriously consider.
Don’t underestimate the huge suggestive effect of the layout of the consultation room on the inquirer. It is also an important part of psychological consultation.
"Everything in this room has a symbolic meaning." Now let's look at what Freud said. Should we understand its meaning?
Psychological counseling is a comprehensive exchange of information.
Tips on psychological counseling: How did modern psychotherapy arise?
Psychotherapy, as a medical method, has been around since ancient times, but people generally regard the creation of "hypnotherapy" as the beginning of modern psychotherapy.
At the end of the 18th century, the Viennese doctor Franz A? Mesmer (1734~1815) proposed the "human magnetic field theory" and used hypnotic suggestion as the core method of his "magnetic therapy" method. In the mid-19th century, the French doctor Jean M. Charcot (1825~1893) abandoned Mesmer's "Human Magnetic Field Theory", but retained some of its hypnotic techniques, and used it to cure some hysterical patients. Later, Freud studied under Charcot and gradually established his "psychoanalytic theory" on this basis.
Since then, psychotherapy, as an independent treatment method, has been increasingly recognized and applied by people.
Consultation Notes 1
People live in the feeling of mutual comparison. This kind of comparison can bring confidence to people, but it can also bring inferiority to people. When it brings inferiority to people, people must learn to compare with themselves to gain confidence. In the following consultation notes, I helped a female student who was suffocated by low self-esteem to regain her self-confidence, mainly because she learned to compare herself.
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