Walk and Talk Therapy https://georgetownsuncryo.com/
1st January 2025
On Clay Cockrell, work is like going for a stroll. The licensed clinical social worker in Manhattan does exercise-assisted psychotherapy, usually in Central Park and Battery Park, rather than in a conventional office environment.
According to him, walking while discussing concerns is very similar to traditional psychotherapy. My clients are interested in the idea and are drawn to being outside,†he tells WebMD.
Working It Out: Using Exercise in Psychotherapy was written by Kate Hays, Ph.D., who has been using sports psychology in her clinical practice for more than two decades. Hays, who is now based in Toronto, is the former head of the American Psychological Association’s division of exercise and sports psychology and she continues to research the mind-body connection through her consulting company, The Performing Edge.
According to Hays, she initially learned about movement and therapy in the early 1980s while reading books like The Joy of Running by Thaddeus Kostrubala. The idea is that rhythmic exercise, like walking, can help people discover who they are.
Three main justifications are given by Hays for integrating exercise and therapy.
Utilizing the healing potential of nature through walk-and-talk therapy
This has also been confirmed by Cathy Brooks-Fincher, a registered clinical social worker with 20 years of experience who works in Brentwood, Tennessee. She is a devoted runner and athlete who has seen that exercise and exposure to the outdoors can help individuals of all fitness levels process their emotions. When teenagers had trouble opening up, she initially started employing walk-and-talk therapy.
She tells WebMD, “I discovered that patients were considerably more comfortable and the sessions were far more fruitful when I took them into an adjacent park.†Patients have confirmed that gazing forward as opposed to staring at a therapist can aid in communication.
The healing power of nature is another thing Brooks-Fincher extols. According to her, many patients think of the connection between being outside and leisure and travel, two extremely pleasant things that most people wish to experience more of.
We have a lovely location for this, a public park with a paved path running alongside a little river, she says. A horse farm, turtles, deer, birds, and bathrooms are all there drinking fountains and restrooms are all excellent features. When clients use walk-and-talk therapy, their perspectives on relationships in their lives frequently change dramatically.
Carlton Kendrick, EdM, a certified clinical social worker based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, concurs. Working with patients who were imprisoned and incarcerated in the early 1970s, he got his start with exercise and therapy.
Walk and Talk therapy treatment is best for health and fitness.
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People are propelled ahead by movement, both physically and metaphorically.
When they accept this [treatment], Kendrick claims that something changes. They arrive in their body armor or suits, and when they change into something more comfortable, like my sweats and sneakers, they relax. The freedom to move, to feel free, and to encounter less conflict and the feeling of being under the microscope that they could naturally experience in my office or anyone else’s.
We communicate well and are traveling together, so our relationship is peaceful. The session is moved from my power base into the streets and hills when in nature.
It offers more parity and is a much more level playing field.
Hays concurs I would probably suggest this as a way out of whatever is going on at any point in psychotherapy where a patient is kind of at a standstill,†said the therapist. if a patient is alienated. Because of the physiological impacts of being active, a patient may be able to see a situation more clearly, more insightfully, and draw connections than she might be able to otherwise.
Is Walking and Talking Therapy Right for You?
Many scientific studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain, particularly for those who are depressed.
When adopting this technique, depressive individuals reportedly turn a corner frequently according to Brooks-Fincher.
Additionally, walk-and-talk therapy is beneficial for people who are distressed or worried. Having the contrast of being outside and doing something beneficial for one’s health might create a sense of aliveness because sadness can be so completely consuming and seem so weighty. She also claims that disputes in relationships are where Real light lights go off when considering a new viewpoint. [Patients] are more open to feedback from the therapist in an outdoor situation.
Kendrick concurs Patients who feel constrained in a relationship or at work, or who are acting inconsistently, may feel freer after receiving walk-and-talk therapy. Domestic abuse victims may also gain from being able to phrase things more favorably says, Hays.
Additionally, Cockrell discovered that his male patients benefited most from walking and chatting.
Walk-and-Talk Therapy: Concerns Regarding Confidentiality
What happens if a client seeking help for a volatile or emotional issue runs into a familiar face while receiving walking psychotherapy This person could be a neighbor or coworker. Would the utmost discretion be jeopardized? How would you handle that circumstance to avoid embarrassment? What are the restrictions?
According to Hays, “They are precisely the kinds of issues that a therapist should bring up with the client.†It’s not explicitly stated what is happening, but in my experience, it’s been fine and not the least bit difficult if one of us runs into someone we know.