What to expect from walk-and-talk therapy?
Walk-and-talk therapy, sometimes known as eco-psychotherapy, offers the usual benefits of psychotherapy, with some added qualities too. As a practise that is fairly new and growing in popularity, this blog post shares a little more information about what to expect and consider when embarking on a therapeutic journey in the great outdoors.
Preparation - taking the first step
If you are interested in walk-and-talk therapy outdoors, please Contact Me to arrange a session.
I will ask you to complete a Client Details form and read and sign a Client Agreement. The Client Agreement includes things to consider, such as:
coming prepared wearing sensible footware, clothing and UV protection that is suitable for the weather conditions
carrying any medications that you might need (e.g. epi-pen for allergies)
accessibility and mobility - please talk to me about this, we can ensure that terrain and plans are manageable to meet any of your needs
limitations in my ability to control things, such as insect bites or minor injuries and taking responsibility for your own safety by taking reasonable care
privacy and confidentiality considerations - outdoors it is possible that you may see someone you know or be overheard for a stretch of time, how we handle that together will be agreed in advance
professional boundaries, including keeping a respectful distance from one another.
We will first have a session or two online, or in person. This is so that we can get to know each other first and I can complete a risk assessment, to ensure that therapy in a different location will be suitable. Importantly, we need to trust one another, ensure that we are safe, and that confidentiality and professional boundaries are maintained. I reserve the right to withdraw the agreement to work together or go outside at any time if clients fail to conduct themselves in a respectful way.
At this stage, we will discuss where you would prefer to go for your outdoor therapy sessions. I will do my best to offer flexibility about where we base our sessions, so that you can chose the setting - beach, woodland, moor, city waterfront. Usually, clients prefer to go to the same location over a period of time, as the routine becomes a supportive part of the process.
Getting Started - going outdoors
Participating in psychotherapy outdoors can feel very different at first but experience has taught me that people quickly grow accustomed to taking their therapy session outside, and really love the results.
We will meet at the chosen location, at the agreed time and day.
You can expect to spend around 50 minutes for a session outside. Unlike in a therapy room where the timing is very controlled, there may be flexibility of a couple of minutes either side of this depending on how far we travel. We will certainly not run over an hour.
Rather than sitting opposite each other in a room, we walk side by side, usually I match your pace of walking. We will talk as usual about what brings you to therapy, and may also explore how you’re engaging with the space, including considerations such as:
how the natural surrounding may be supportive in feeling grounded and calm
how quickly or slowly we are walking and what that means about the pace of the therapeutic work
if we chose to sit in stillness for a while
memories or being in similar locations in the past
what features stand out to you
how alive you are to your senses
how you relate to the weather or feel of the landscape, or other metaphors that may come to mind creatively from being outdoors.
I am prepared to work outside in most weather conditions, even if we need a waterproof and may get a little soggy. In the event of extreme weather or hazardous storms / natural events, we can move our session online.
Keeping it fresh
As usual, we will review regularly and check-in to see how you’re finding walk-and-talk therapy.
Sometimes, clients like to change location to see how new landscapes or environments change what comes to mind for them. This is often a nice way of marking chapters in the work, celebrating progress and change.
Please note that my professional indemnity insurance covers me for working outdoors. Locations are selected where we are able to undertake activities lawfully. I always carry a mobile phone and will contact emergency services on your behalf in the unlikely event that this is necessary. I have undertaken an online workshop in nature therapy. Outdoor activities are undertaken at the participant’s own risk.
