Question
What environmental and sensory adjustments should therapists make when working with highly sensitive clients?
Answer
The physical therapy environment can have a meaningful impact on the comfort and progress of highly sensitive clients. Practitioners are encouraged to reduce overall sensory load by attending to factors such as lighting levels, room temperature, wall décor, and auditory elements, such as ticking clocks or sound machines. The texture and comfort of seating should also be considered, for instance, placing a soft blanket over a chair, as physical sensations are processed more intensely by this population.
Beyond the physical space, session pacing itself requires thoughtful adjustment. Highly sensitive clients often need additional time to process emotionally intense material, and moments of silence should be respected rather than filled with noise. Clinicians are advised to avoid completing a client's thoughts and instead carefully observe nonverbal cues, ensuring that body language aligns with what is being verbalized. If silence shifts from productive processing into signs of fear or overarousal, checking in gently with the client is recommended.
Communication style also matters. Questions can sometimes feel like attacks, and interpretations may register as judgments for highly sensitive individuals, so limiting confrontational or forceful language supports a safer therapeutic experience.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, ‘The Highly Sensitive Person in Therapy: The Therapist-Client Dynamic,’ presented by Ashley Hubbard, MA NCC, LPC-Supervisor, LMHC, EMDR-Consultant.
