Walk & Talk outdoor therapy

I am quite certain of the benefits that spending time outdoors in nature can have both to our mental health as well as our physical health. There is growing evidence and research to suggest exposure to natural environments can be associated with mental health benefits:

·       improved mood and subjective happiness

·       reduced feelings of stress or anger.

·       slows the mind down.

·       improves your physical health.

·       improves your confidence and self-esteem.

·       helps you be more active.

·       connects you to your local community, reducing loneliness and isolation.

So, it was almost a no brainer that I decided to look at offering “Walk and Talk” therapy sessions, combining the benefits of a therapy session with the power of the great outdoors! Instead of sitting together in a therapy room, your counselling sessions take place outdoors walking side by side. Without the constraints of being inside, walking and talking can help you to feel more relaxed and some find it easier to start discussing their problems while strolling along a path.  If you have felt stuck in therapy in the past, being physically active can help to release tensions and stimulate new deeper and creative ways of thinking.

The pace is slow so you don’t need to worry about being fit or becoming breathless talking and if you like we can sit and talk at intervals. Sessions talk place around Warfield in fairly rural areas so you need not worry about bumping into someone you know.  However we will talk in the first session about confidentiality and what we will do if you encounter somebody that you know. Regardless of where we are walking, it's helpful to remember seeing people walking and talking side by side is a very common sight and a client and therapist walking side by side does not look any different. 

Outdoor therapy can be particularly helpful for those who are feeling trapped in life or are in roles that no longer fit them. Being outdoors and talking about your issues can offer a renewed sense of freedom.  Simply being connected to nature can be beneficial and in these difficult and anxious times the option of counselling in the open air can allow us to social distance by working safely outdoors. 

 Walk and Talk therapy can 

  • help you take small steps towards your goals (pardon the pun!)

  • help with your fitness and getting your daily steps in

  • give you an endorphin boost from exercise that you would not get sat in a chair

  • enable you to enjoy the beauty in the local area and take in the changes throughout the seasons

 

Get in touch to book your session!

 

References

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220302150329.htm

Environmental Neuroscience
Berman, M.G., et al., American Psychologist, 2019

Nicola Strudley