Let’s talk about something that may sound a little silly but actually says a lot about how you show up in therapy: where you sit.
Therapy offices are generally pretty comfortable for a reason. We have the cozy chairs. We have couches. We have pillows. We might have a blanket or two sitting around because, honestly, nobody should have to process their entire life while sitting in a chair that feels like it belongs in a waiting room at the DMV.
But what if the chair isn’t where you want to be?
What if you think better when you’re moving? What if you need something in your hands while you talk? What if you want to hold a pillow, bring a snack, sit cross-legged on the floor, or fidget your way through a difficult conversation?
Then let’s do that.
Especially for people who are neurodivergent, the idea of what it means to “sit appropriately” or “pay attention” can follow us into spaces where it doesn’t actually need to. But you don't have to be neurodivergent to have preferences about how you feel most comfortable. Maybe you focus better with your hands busy. Maybe sitting on the floor helps you feel grounded. Maybe having something to snack on makes a long conversation feel a little more manageable. Maybe you simply have a really good relationship with the floor.
Whatever the reason, therapy should have room for it.
You also don't have to show up to therapy as the perfectly composed version of yourself. You don't need to organize your thoughts into a neat little presentation before you walk through the door. You can ramble. You can pause. You can say, “I don't know how to explain this.” You can change your mind halfway through telling the story. You can bring notes. You can come in with seventeen thoughts that seem completely unrelated and let us figure out what connects them.
The goal isn't to perform therapy correctly. The goal is to have a space where you can actually be yourself.
And that goes both ways.
At Space Between, we believe therapists should be able to show up authentically, too. We aren't asking you to be a perfectly polished human while we sit across from you pretending we have everything figured out. Sometimes being present with a client means sitting in a chair and listening. Sometimes it means grabbing a fidget. Sometimes it means laughing together. And sometimes, if you’re having a particularly good floor day, I might join you down there.
Because therapy is a relationship, and relationships work best when the people in them are allowed to be real.
So bring the fidget ( or pick from the basket of ours ) . Bring the snack. Bring the pillow. Bring the notes, the tangled thoughts, the nervous energy, the awkward silence, and whatever else helps you feel like yourself.
And if you need some floor time?
There’s room for that here, too.
By: Izzy Padgett
Graduate Student Intern @ SBCS