What is Walk & Talk Therapy?
Walk and Talk therapy is considered a nature based therapeutic approach. Taking therapy outside can have many benefits, as well as poses some risk and limitations - just like any other therapy.
Walk and talk therapy takes the healing process beyond the traditional office setting—into the outdoors. This form of therapy combines movement, nature, and therapeutic conversation, offering a unique space for reflection and emotional growth. Engaging in physical movement while processing thoughts and feelings can support cognitive processing and emotional regulation through bilateral stimulation, all while helping you feel more grounded and connected.
This approach is especially supportive for those who may feel uneasy in conventional therapy settings, such as sitting face-to-face in an office. It’s a great option for individuals who feel more at ease in open spaces, find it difficult to sit for extended periods, or value a more holistic approach to their mental and emotional well-being. Whether you find clarity while walking, feel rejuvenated in nature, or simply prefer a less structured therapeutic experience, walk and talk therapy may be the right fit for you.
The Benefits of Walking Therapy
Being outside and walking has many benefits to both your physical and emotional wellbeing! Evidence shows that being in nature can improve mood, decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels (a stress hormone), increase serotonin and endorphins, and gain vitamin D. Walking puts therapy in motion! There is quite a bit of research on movement, somatic exercises, and bilateral stimulation, and their effects of the brain and mental health. Movement can encourage emotional release and connect our thoughts and feelings. Walking can foster a growth mindset, increase self-esteem, and decrease sedentary thinking. Walking is also a simple form of bilateral coordination. Bilateral stimulation is used through “stimulating” both right and left side of the brain and has been found to help with emotional processing, reduce impacts of stress and trauma, and calm the nervous system. Walk and talk therapy is assisted with mindfulness practices, mind-body awareness, and traditional skills and tools that are used in traditional talk therapy.
Considerations and Limitations
Some of the risks and limitations posed in Walk and Talk therapy include: not being in a private office, exposure to dangers and unpredictability of what is outdoors, and potential injury. However, as your therapist it is my job to protect your confidentiality to the best of my ability through picking low populated trails, and developing a plan with each client in the occasion we pass people (including one’s you may know). In the best of my ability, I will also be aware of protecting your safety and wellbeing (as well as mine). Our sessions can also always be transitioned to meeting indoors or virtually in the case of severe weather, or other needs.