Why “Yellow Couch” Counseling?
The actual yellow couch is a slightly shabby, utterly elegant, midcentury sofa made by a company called Henredon. It’s a faded citron yellow and I found it on Mother’s Day weekend at a neighborhood garage sale a few years ago. My own mom, who had died unexpectedly about five years prior, was weighing heavily on my heart that day (Mother’s Day is a complicated holiday for me), and I knew she would hate the color but love the way I lit up inside when I saw it. I knew she would give me her most enthusiastic YES and tell me to trust my instincts and buy it.
I sat down on the soft velvet cushions and even when I scootched back all the way, my feet were firmly on the ground. As a 5’4” woman, I have always felt too small for most furniture. Which is odd because I’m the exact average height for an American woman. But I realized a long time ago that furniture is designed for men. In fact, sometimes it feels like the whole world is designed for someone else. Someone taller, less sensitive, harder. But this yellow couch… it was just for me. Soft, my size, bright and cheerful, beautifully made. And when I bought it - without consulting anyone - it felt like saying yes to myself, which was rare at that time.
When I was planning to start my own private practice, I wanted to find a name that embodied what I provide for my clients: a warm, soft, strong, hopeful place to land in a world that sometimes feels too harsh, too demanding, and not made for them. If you’re ready to say yes to yourself for a change, please reach out. I’d love to help.
