just what it sounds like: psychotherapy (or talk therapy) with a licensed mental health professional that takes place on a walk.
About Me:
As a Maryland-licensed clinical social worker and personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) I’ve been engaging clients in walk and talk therapy since 2007. Working then in a residential substance abuse treatment program, I found that many clients, hesitant to engage in the talk therapy process, and overwhelmed by the emotions that accompanied recovery from addiction, became more comfortable exploring their issues when not sitting face-to-face in an office setting. In practice, clients who struggled with intense shame and self-loathing found that walking and talking not only helped reduce their stress, it gave them courage to share and work through myriad issues. I believe the parallel forward motion of client and therapist is a metaphor for therapy, and that talking while walking can promote mental health naturally and holistically.
About Walk and Talk Therapy:
More and more research is proving that exercise, even light physical activity, can have a direct and positive effect on mental health – not just physical health. Indeed, you’ve probably noticed that the mind-body connection is being brought into conversations on emotional and physical health, fitness, relationships, spirituality, and even politics.
Walk and talk therapy grows out of the theory that mind and body are deeply connected and that mental health and physical health are closely linked. Walk and talk therapy is just what it sounds like: psychotherapy (or talk therapy) that takes place while walking – usually outdoors. Furthermore, while walk and talk therapy might be relatively new to this area, it is being offered in New York City, California, Portland, and Toronto, and has even been raised in the media.
First and foremost, while walk-and-talk does include movement and may raise a person’s heart rate, it is not an exercise session. The primary goal of walk and talk therapy is not weight loss or improved fitness. Rather, as with any in-office therapy session, clients bring to therapy myriad, varied, and complicated problems. The only difference is the added movement and the setting. To belabor the point, instead of working through the loss of a loved one, or teasing apart one’s feelings about becoming a new parent on a comfy chair in a traditional office, the same conversations are occurring, the same empathetic ear is given, and the same support is offered while walking – again, usually outdoors.
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