Walk and Talk
Therapy
Walk and talk Therapy
This is a 50 minute session that takes place while walking in nature. It's a chance to slow down and connect with your environment and the natural world while also having a therapy session.
As well as talking about things that are affecting your mental health, we will discuss our surroundings, weather, nature and sounds, observing how it changes from week to week. Grounding the sessions in the seasons and cycles of nature and recognising how your environment affects you individually.
Walks take place in woodland or along the Thames.
Before becoming a counsellor, I was a gardener for over 20 years. I tuned into nature and the changing seasons because they related to the jobs that needed doing. I took the benefits of an active, outdoor lifestyle for granted.
It wasn't until I started working indoors that I realised just how important connecting with nature was for my own mental health. Each winter Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) would creep in, slightly worse than the year before. My joints began to ache, sleep became less predictable - sometimes I'd be awake into the small hours for no particular reason, I began to feel stressed and anxious and had to work hard to prevent burnout. One thing I found worked better for me than anything else was getting outside. Simple things like having my morning coffee in the garden listening to the birds, going for short walks during breaks, exploring local woods. I noticed my whole body would relax, even when I hadn't noticed I'd been tense. I started to observe plants, animals and insects in a conscious way, in a slow appreciative way that hadn't been possible when I was busy gardening. In short, my scientific knowledge of gardening and nature combined with my understanding of mental health and I felt a deep sense of peace and connection. And this is what led me here and what I'm passionate to share with my clients.
Beneifits of Walk and Talk Therapy
It's a chance to slow down and connect with nature.
Experiencing the sights, smells and sounds - bird song, crunch of leaves underfoot, rain on your face, sun on your skin, smell of grass, pine leaves, the river. These things help us feel grounded and connected.
It's a chance to use nature and your external environment to explore your internal thoughts and feelings.
Walking is a form of bilateral stimulation - which, used in conjunction with talking therapy, helps lower anxiety, breaks negative thought loops and aids in emotion regulation.
Vitamin D and helping keep Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) at bay. Around 20% of adults in the UK are believed to have a vitamin D deficiency. This rises to 40% during winter and Spring.
“Being outdoors can trigger measurable changes inside your body from lowering stress hormones, easing blood pressure and even improving your gut health.” (BBC Website)
Essentially nature calms what needs calming and strengthens what needs strengthening.
Walk and Talk therapy is a holistic approach combining mental and physical health. Gently exercising your body and mind.
What to expect
Before meeting for our first walk together we will have an initial online meeting. This is a time to discuss your individual needs - what brings you to therapy.
Any medical issues - do you need to bring an inhaler/epipen/snack etc
Routes and where and when to meet.
Contingency plans - road closures, torrential rain, high winds etc
Emergency contacts - just in case!
Sessions take place at the same time and location each week and throughout the year. This means appropriate clothing and footwear are needed.
Walk and Talk therapy is a gentle stroll rather than a brisk march. However, a reasonable level of fitness is required - you will be outside and on your feet for at least 50 minutes.
If you are a wheelchair user or have other physical disabilities that means walking on uneven terrain isn't possible, I'm open to discussion and finding routes that will work for you.
As well as talking about things that are affecting your mental health, we will discuss our surroundings, weather, nature, sounds, observing how it changes from week to week. Grounding the sessions in the seasons and cycles of nature and recognising how your environment affects you individually.
