Modern Minds: MUSC Brain Health

MODERN MINDS MUSC - BRAIN HEALTH

Where do we go when we need to relax, recharge, and quiet our busy minds?

For some, it may be the comforts of home we crave - a soft couch, a private space, and an environment we can control. For others, it might be a spa - serenity, soft colors, and gentle light. Some may enjoy a coffee shop, where we can be among others in a shared space and choose our level of interaction. Some may yearn for nature.

What if, when the world around us seems like a lot to handle, we could spend time in a place that offers a bit of all of those things?

E NVI S I O N I N G A N EW M O DE L F OR B R A I N H E A LT H MUSC and BEEMOK Family Foundation began asking those questions in 2019. Together, they envisioned a unique place for people living with depression and anxiety to access care focused on “brain health,” fittingly entitled Modern Minds. From the beginning, the overarching goal was to lower the barriers to seeking assistance with behavioral health needs by creating a welcoming, accessible environment focused on wellness.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five working adults in the US is living with a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression, and the average time between onset of symptoms and seeking treatment is 11 years.

The long-term effects of the COVID crisis are likely to increase the need for high-quality care options to address behavioral health needs. If we can empower people to be proactive about brain health and encourage anyone who is struggling to seek assistance sooner, the positive impacts of a treatment program such as Modern Minds will be profound.

R I G H T A RO U ND TH E CO RN ER Modern Minds is located on the Charleston peninsula, nestled into the community for easy access by a broad population of people living and working nearby. The program takes an integrative approach to brain health with trained counselors (psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed social workers) and wellness mentors working together to help clients develop a tool kit of strategies to support interconnected mental and physical wellness.

The design team worked closely with the providers to strike the right balance within the renovated 3,400 SF space. The design solution supports holistic care at a residential-scale, with elements of hospitality and workplace design woven in. The aesthetic feels more like a spa or coffee shop than a behavioral health facility to welcome patients seeking treatment.

DESI GN I N G F O R S E R E N I T Y The serene, welcoming interiors offer a balance of calm palettes and intriguing artwork to help clients and staff relax and center themselves within the space. From small enclosed offices to a group gathering space, the balance of community and privacy creates a supportive patient experience for a variety of programs.

Furnishings and artwork are modern and stylish to resonate with a youthful downtown population. Hints of nature through framed views, light-filled spaces, natural elements, and organic sculptural objects add warmth and visual interest throughout the space.

To create a place for comprehensive healing and wellness, the client envisioned a bright, airy, and welcoming environment tied to the prime location on the Charleston Peninsula. With emphasis on biophilia, features include abundant natural light, a variety of textures and a soothing coastal inspired color palette, warm wood elements, a profusion of plants, and nature-inspired art. Sculptural light fixtures and modern furnishings add variety, and wood slat ceiling details in the administrative area and vertical wood elements in treatment spaces subtly echo trees and branches. The carpet selection, which harkens pebbles and moss, leads patients through the corridor and separates the provider work areas.

Artwork is water-like with soothing blue hues.

B R I N G I N G T H E O UTSID E IN The biophilic nature of the design, including strategic use of plants, wood elements, organic shapes and textures, and daylighting, supports an environment conducive to tranquility and

healing.

movements

Furnishings to

soothe

allow

subtle

multidirectional

anxious

clients

in

one-on-one

consultation rooms, while more expansive lounge spaces facilitate group discussions and educational sessions in a welcoming, residential-scale environment.

FLE X I BL E , A DA P TA B L E, A N D P O RTABLE The program includes open, airy provider workspaces; a variety of enclosed offices for one-on-one chats; conference rooms; a lobby; and shared lounge for group activities. Unassigned consult rooms allow providers to maximize available time for treatment use. Taking cues from co-working spaces, carefully designed touchdown stations in the corridor streamline workflows for providers. By creating an appropriate amount of separation and privacy, these open workstations also increase transparency between patients and providers. Garages, a mobile furniture storage solution, house personal items for providers and can be wheeled into any treatment spaces. The simple layout is designed for ease of use by both clients and staff.

The practice anticipates growth, and needed a design strategy that would translate to a larger facility when needed. The design worked within the existing plan of the previous financial services tenant, minimizing costly structural changes while maximizing available space for treatment settings. The space was completely transformed with moving only one wall, and the carefully selected furniture and fixtures will be easy to install in a future location.

EVIDE NC E -B A SE D ST R AT E G IE S F O R PATI EN T WELLN ESS Early concepts for the interior design were inspired by research

by Mardelle Shepley and Samira Pasha

regarding ideal

characteristics of spaces for behavioral health environments, including the balance between personal space and density, control and choice, sensory conditions, spatial clarity, access to nature, connection to outside, stress reduction, comfort, and hominess.

The interior design sets the tone for wellness, healing, and respite. In a world in which so much is beyond our control, having a place designed to support mental wellness is a powerful tool for reducing the barriers to seeking treatment and makes the process welcoming, effective, and empowering.

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