Walk & Talk Counseling - Is it right for you?

Walk & talk counseling is a regular counseling session with one exception; instead of the traditional setting of the counselor’s office you and your therapist talk while walking in an outdoor setting. Prior to the session, you and the therapist will agree upon walking site like a park or trail, your neighborhood, or community center and then walk at a pace you are comfortable with while processing various aspects of your life.

Walk and Talk Counseling: 5 reasons it may be right for you

• Do you need encouragement and accountability and want to jump start physical activity 
• Do you want to get unstuck and feel free and relaxed
• Do you want to try a new way of thinking with more clarity or insight 
• Do you want to be outdoors instead of sitting inside an office 
• Or because research has shown positive effects of physical activity:
  • Walking for Your Mood, Mind, and Spirit
  • 10 Health Problems That The Outdoors Can Help Prevent and Treat
  • Walk and Talk Therapy 
  • How Exercise Can Calm Anxiety - Well - The New York Times
  • Exercise for Depression - BrainBlogger 

Additional information to know before starting walk and talk counseling: 

• The first initial session will take place in office to evaluate your needs and review therapeutic goals 
• You will set the walking pace and your therapist will walk with you side by side
• Walk and talk counseling is not exercise or a workout training, and while movement may be a benefit, the focus is not about exercise
• You are allowed to bring a child in a stroller or a pet if you wish as long as they do not disrupt the focus of the therapy session 
• The walk and talk therapy session may be rescheduled if the weather does not allow for you and your therapist be outdoors
• If you or your therapist are approached by someone familiar your therapist will not identify you as a “client” or the walk and talk session as a counseling session to preserve confidentiality. However, if the client is approached by a person they know, the client has the right to disclose if they are or are not in a therapy session. 
• If appropriate, the client is responsible for seeking doctor’s approval before beginning and ensuring there are no medical conditions that would be detrimental to participating in walk and talk counseling 
• If walk and talk counseling or being outdoors does not work you can request with your therapist to move your sessions back indoors or rotate the settings of your therapy sessions.

If you believe this would be the right fit for you or have any questions contact me. 

~Virginia