NewPsych has moved into purpose built offices at level 4/77 Hunter Street Newcastle (diagonally opposite the old post office) to provide a totally different experience for their clients.

 

The business has been in operation for 20 years. It started with just Tarnya Davis and a mobile phone but now has 26 psychologists, two psychiatrists and seven admin staff.

 

Tarnya says that 20 years in practice has allowed her to notice that psychologists don’t always get the space right. They have historically followed the medical example with desks or uncomfortable chairs and yet this doesn’t make anyone feel comfortable.

 

Action from NewPsych’s landlord meant that they needed to move from their former Cooks Hill address. An empty shell was available in Hunter Street and it provided an opportunity to fit out and create their own purpose built space, with floor to ceiling windows in most rooms to take advantage of the natural light, sound proofed walls and comfortable furnishing.

 

Nature is what makes people feel relaxed. It’s a biological drive and there is clinical evidence that nature triggers calm in our brains. So the new premises has plants everywhere, green grass and even a tree. There are rainforest motifs on the walls and even the sounds of rainforest and birds in the halls.

 

To make people feel more comfortable in the waiting room, NewPsych turned it into a theatrette, with rows of antique seats from a theatre facing a screen playing TED talks and other videos of a psychological nature. It takes the awkwardness away from waiting and allows people to start learning the second they come in.

 

The business also has a designated room for young people with grass, clouds on the walls and fairy lights. They also plan to use virtual reality in the future for therapy.