Update: I’m putting walk & talk sessions on hold during the winter months, but hope to offer them again once the weather gets nicer if there is enough interest. If you are interested in walk & talk sessions in the future, please let me know.
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” Unknown*
I love being in the forest, and I spend several hours each weekend mountain biking and hiking on our beautiful trails here in North Vancouver. Sometimes I’m with family and friends, and other times I’m on my own. I find the time to be very therapeutic. It gives me a chance to get out of my head (“lose my mind”), and provides relief from the overthinking and worry that sometimes happens during stressful times. On the trails, I also remember what is important to me in life and gain some perspective (“find my soul”). The experience is both relaxing and rejuvenating… physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
These personal experiences make me excited to be able to offer counselling sessions in the outdoors to clients. Outdoor counselling, or walk & talk therapy, was somewhat rare until recently, but more practitioners began to use it when COVID had us looking for ways to safely practice outside of our confined indoor office spaces. Walk & talk counselling does have a long tradition that pre-dates COVID, however, with some good research supporting its use.
What are the benefits of walk & talk therapy?
There are a few benefits of outdoor sessions that differ from office sessions. For many, the physical movement makes a difference. Even the light exercise of walking has a physical and psychological effect that can cause us to find new perspectives that we hadn’t been able to see previously.
The immersion in natural surroundings also has a beneficial effect. Research has shown that time in nature can help us regulate our emotions, as well as move us away from negative thinking patterns such as rumination.
The side-by-side conversation during a walk & talk session (as opposed to the face-to-face conversation in the office) can also make a difference for many clients. Face-to-face interaction in an office therapy session certainly has it’s benefits, but side-by-side conversation can change the dynamic in subtle ways that allows new insights to emerge.
Where will the outdoor sessions take place?
We live in a very naturally beautiful community, and the opportunities for outdoor experiences are plentiful. I have carefully chosen a forested location for walk & talk sessions in a North Vancouver park that is close to my office (sign up for a session or contact me to find out the specific location). The path is flat and well maintained. This makes for a relaxing walk that is not at all strenuous, but still provides enough physical movement to be beneficial. The path is also quite wide, giving us lots of space to have a private conversation. A river runs near the path, which enhances the natural beauty, and provides some background noise to increase privacy as we talk. There are also several places to stop and sit if we would like to pause the movement and experience some stillness.
What will we do during a walk & talk session?
The discussion during walk & talk sessions could mirror that of an office session. We might simply have the same discussion that we would have in the office, but with the added benefits of movement and the outdoors mentioned above. However, walk & talk therapy also offers several options during the session that are not possible in an office that we might want to explore. For example, we might make use of one more metaphors associated with walking and nature that can help us with our therapeutic work during the session. There are also some mindfulness techniques that we can use that offer a different experience in the outdoors compared to using these same techniques in an office setting; these can enhance your connection to both the natural environment and to your physical self. These practices are simple and, once you learn them, you will be able to use them silently wherever you are at any time. They are discreet enough that other people around you will not be aware that you’re using them. These practices can have a calming effect, help us feel grounded, and develop our ability to live in the moment and be more present in everyday life.
I’m putting walk & talk sessions on hold for the winter months, but if you are interested in walk & talk counselling sessions, then please contact me (eli@mtnviewcounselling.com or 778-802-8385).
(Please note that the fee for Walk & Talk sessions is slightly higher than regular sessions, and clients must attend at least one in-office or videoconference session before booking a Walk & Talk session).
*This quote is often misattributed to John Muir, an early American naturalist, and although it seems like something he might have said, it’s not found in any records of his work.