I work with individual adults and teens (13+) only, not children, couples or families. Sessions are 60 minutes long and usually once a week, although more or less often can also work well. We’ll discuss this in our first session.

Walk & talk therapy

This form of counseling incorporates walking outdoors while we talk. We choose a quiet setting without too dense of a crowd. Where possible and for the best experience, I recommend a natural setting (e.g., a garden, park, forest, nature trail). You set the pace, so you can walk as fast or slow as you like. Walking can be completed for part or all of the session.

Benefits of this form of counseling include the following:

• A nature walk can ground a person’s mind in the present moment. It can alleviate distress and anxiety (dispelling intrusive or unwanted thoughts) so clients feel a sense of “centering” and more clarity in thinking.
• Movement can help boost confidence, energy and alleviate symptoms (e.g., feeling unstuck, nervous, triggered, fearful, tired, brain fog) related to depression and anxiety, sleep disorders and other health concerns.
• Movement has a positive impact on brain function and the ability to learn.
• Time in nature has been shown to reduce stress, help the nervous system relax, and improve mood.
• Movement can help provide a physical release for anger and clarify feelings.
• The feeling of pressure that is encountered during an online session can be reduced with this approach. Talking on video can be anxiety-producing for some people, but talking while walking can feel like a more natural, relaxing interaction.
• It can be used to develop mindfulness skills (e.g., harnessing presence, meditation), as it doesn’t always even have to involve a lot of talking!

The counseling (psychotherapy/coaching component) of our session is the same, with the added element of relaxation and (often) deeper ability to process your experience in a lower pressure setting.

To note: It is also important to note that some people may experience an increase in stress and anxiety when they are outside of home or around other people. In this case, we can use this approach as part of an exposure therapy program to practice strategies we have gone over during our sessions. This can help transfer learning into your daily life, where you really need it.