Garden Therapy Room: Una Cavanagh Counselling

This beautiful corner garden room sits neatly in this pretty, mature garden and measures a generous 3.5m x 3.5m. Manufactured from heavy-duty 70mm timber the cabin is from our premium range, featuring solid purlins and residential-quality doors & windows.  Double glazing, together with roof & floor insulation and electrics make the building the ideal choice for our customer who runs her own counselling & therapy business: https://unacavanagh.com/

After visiting our display site and talking through the options, Una chose a corner cabin which was made to measure to suit her needs.  The result is a stylish, light and airy space perfect for all-year-round use and very inviting space for visiting clients.

Here we chat with Una and ask her about her business and how she is finding using her new garden therapy room:

How long have you been working as a therapist what does your work involve?

I began training as a counsellor in 2007 and qualified in 2010.  In addition to my core training, I also trained in supporting victims of crime, sexual abuse and domestic violence with Victim Support and volunteered with them for some time as well as being specially trained in supporting bereaved clients at a local hospice where I continue to volunteer.

My private work involves seeing each client for one hour a week over a period of time (usually between 6 – 12 sessions).

Counselling is a talking therapy that helps clients to understand and make sense of the event/s that have led them to seek help – for example, they may be suffering from depression, low self-esteem, struggling because of work-related stress or have difficulty moving forward after the death of someone close to them. Whatever it is that brings them for help, I work alongside clients to support them through it. 

Where did you work before the studio?

I rented at The Healthy Life Company in Devizes, a health food shop with therapy rooms above. 

What made you decide to choose a garden studio rather than rent space?

The room I rented was lovely but it had limitations for me, for example, I need a good deal of flexibility in timings for clients and other therapists who shared the room I rented.

Also, I want to be able to offer the option of animal-assisted therapy when counselling, and that wasn’t possible as The Healthy Life Co sells food.

What factors influenced your choice of garden studio?

Quality of design and manufacture was of utmost importance as well as being able to be a good “fit” in appearance with our garden. It also needed to be well insulated to provide a private, quiet and warm space inside.

Why did you choose Garden Affairs for your build?

I’d been thinking about it for some time and then, by chance, saw a Garden Affairs building in a magazine, at the same time my husband found the website! We were both impressed and even more so when we visited the showrooms, explained what we wanted and you really got it.

What do you feel are the main benefits to working from your new studio?

Over the years, I’ve worked in different settings providing counselling, some good and some not so good. Taking from these experiences, I know what feels right and so I’ve been able to have it exactly how I want it. I am so pleased with the end result and I believe I have created a calm, soothing and comforting place for my clients.

Another huge bonus is that I now save a lot of time, as I don’t have to drive to work. This has freed me up to offer more appointments for clients with a much greater degree of flexibility (and I love my walk up the garden path to work!)

(Rusty, Una's Therapy Dog)

And lastly …….. What do you like most about it and what do your clients think?

Apart from the fact it looks amazing from the outside, I love the serenity and calmness of it inside – as soon as I walk in, I’ve left the world outside. The feedback from clients has been really great too and I believe our work together is massively enhanced by being in such a great therapy room.