I began my career journey as a teacher of children with special needs. I took classes in design and began moonlighting with a friend creating kids rooms. Business was immediately rewarding.
For example, one 5-year-old boy was afraid of fire and would not sleep in his room. We decided to turn his bedroom into a fun firehouse complete with a firetruck on the wall.
An amazing transformation happened. The boy's room became his sanctuary and a place where he felt safe, secure, and empowered.
I went back to school full time, received my masters in health and human services, and completed my Ph.D in counseling services. My goal as a counselor and as an interior designer is simple: to help people on a personal journey that facilitates awareness, knowledge, and personal meaning to their home and work space, through evidence-based facilitative and supportive design.
Debi Lynes
WHAT IS FACILITATIVE DESIGN?
Facilitative design is understanding of the interconnected nature of all design and construction. It is the mindful and purposeful incorporation of design elements in the physical environment to enhance psychological outcomes such as increasing client self-disclosure in counseling, minimizing burnout, increasing efficacy, productivity, and healing, and stress reduction to name a few.
Studies are showing that incorporating elements such as certain colors, textures, furniture styles and arrangement, art, accessories, smells, lighting, plants and nature have a significant impact on health and wellness.
Given that all man-made sensory input is based on design decisions, architecture provides endless opportunities for facilitative solutions. By looking at architecture as a multi-sensory environment, homes can be customized, using the sensory design model, to address each child’s specific sensory profile.