If you enjoyed my last post on Walk-and-Talk Counseling, this post is to geek out further! Let’s get deeper into the who, what, and why behind Walk-and-Talk as a modality, and as a modality near and dear to my heart.
Why would anyone walk and talk?
And as it turns out, Walk-and-Talk Counseling is a very old practice. It dates back to the 1800s, at least: Freud often took his patients on walks around the University of Vienna campus. He found his patients spoke more freely on walks, and walking while talking seemed to clear their minds. His sessions became known as “Freudian Walks.”
It’s still a new area of study, but the burgeoning research on the efficacy of Walk-and-Talk is promising: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494421000943.
There’s even a crisis intervention called “The Hot Walk and Talk” protocol, used to de-escalate a crisis or stand-off: https://tendtoolkit.com/hot-walk-talk/. It makes perfect sense to me that walking cools off a hot situation. I can think of several times in my own life when taking a walk was all I could do in the face of total overwhelm, such as when the baby just wouldn't stop crying -- it was all I could do to head out on a walk to calm down (with the baby strapped to me in the carrier, or better yet, handing the baby to my husband so that I could head outside to enjoy some peace and calm myself down!). And it always helped, even just a five minute walk around the block.
How did I arrive at Walk-and-Talk?
I’ve enjoyed walking since as long as I can remember, for the exercise and experience in nature, its benefits to my mental health, and how a walk with a friend or family member usually brings out the best conversation. I was intrigued when I heard about colleagues offering Walk-and-Talk to their clients.
I'll admit a big motivator to actually start offering this service in my own private practice was thinking about some of my own experiences in counseling in my more anxious 20’s and early 30’s. I can remember so many times, sitting on my counselor’s couch in session, feeling sad or fearful about something in my life but not quite sure why or what to say about it. A sort of pressure – even a feeling of panic – would rise in me when silence fell, my therapist’s watchful eyes studied me, and I felt uncomfortably glued to the couch. So overcome with self-consciousness, I’d feel blocked from exploring my feelings at all. I think I would have been able to go much deeper in my work in counseling, not to mention have a more pleasant experience, if I had I been able to move my body and be side-by-side with my counselor, with less eye contact. I knew I couldn’t be the only one -- there had to be others out there like me.
My main hang-up from providing Walk-and-Talk was that I work in central Seattle, and sessions on the sidewalk sounded noisy and full of distractions. Hiking in a more remote area was compelling, but I wanted something easy to navigate and complete with a client, that I could do from my office. Then I watched as the Washington Park Arboretum paved a wide loop trail through its beautiful greenery – not too hilly, and about 50 minutes to circle at an average pace. It was a bit crowded on weekends, but relatively quiet on weekdays. Perfect!
With my location plan set, I took a day-long training on Walk-and-Talk Counseling from a clinician whose practice is exclusively outdoors on foot, in order to learn more about the practicalities and ethics, particularly around confidentiality. Equipped with what I needed to know, I began offering Walk-and-Talk in early 2022.
Where am I today?
In the nearly two years of my providing Walk-and-Talk Counseling so far, my clients and I have walked through all seasons and kinds of weather. We’ve had varied human and wildlife encounters. (Once a coyote crossed the trail about 20 feet ahead of us, briefly stopped and stared at us, and then quickly disappeared. It was a little unnerving, and magical.) Mostly we have quiet and beauty. I continue to love it. Some clients have come to me expressly wanting to do Walk-and-Talk, and finding it offers something different and deeper than office or virtual sessions ever have.
I have decided to still offer office sessions as an option for clients, because they are more accessible for some people, and they do offer better privacy. I will admit even for myself these days as a client in counseling, I prefer office sessions despite considering Walk-and-Talk, because I like the privacy and focus it provides. But I know Walk-and-Talk is right – and even perfect – for some people at certain stages of their lives. If you think Walk-and-Talk might be right for you, I invite you to contact me and we can discuss further. I hope to hear from you!
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