I have had to change the way I interact with some of my clients, mostly because I am not as able to be up and down off the floor anymore. To accommodate this, I used a table and chairs in one of my sessions yesterday where normally there is a pretty bare space for therapy to take place. Once my client saw these new things in the therapy space, he simply picked up one of the chairs and walked it down a hall and into another room. I followed him, of course, and asked that he take the chair back. We got ourselves back into the space, but my client really disliked the presence of the table. I moved it to the side of the room where it was still functional but not as much a focal point, but my client was very unhappy regardless. I provided him space and silence before creating a song about the difficulties and discomfort that lie within change and newness. He seemed to listen to the words; he was still and his gaze was focused, and after I sang it through two times, he said, “Ready,” and we moved into our greeting song.
No two sessions are ever the same, nor do I expect them to be. I attempt to provide a consistent physical environment for my clients who are most sensitive of change, but I simply did not give the amount of consideration to the additions that I should have given. I am hoping that the change in my own physicality will be gradual enough that there won’t be any resistance from my clients. I have a few months to see about that.
