7 reasons why Walk & Talk therapy is so beneficial

 

“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in being.” – Eckhart Tolle

 

Traditionally, counselling takes place indoors – either face-to-face in person or online/on the phone. But as the days lengthen and the weather improves, it might be time to think about an alternative approach. And there are lots of reasons why moving while you talk might be the way forward for you…

 

This month I’m introducing Walk & Talk therapy to my clients and before launching this option I did a lot of research into why counselling al fresco is beneficial for so many.

I discovered a huge number of studies (see below) showing that movement – exercise of any kind – is beneficial in helping us to process emotions, while boosting feelgood chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. The endorphins released during a walk boost your energy, reduce stress, increase motivation, give a sense of achievement, boost confidence and improve self-esteem. And when we move our bodies in the fresh air, the list of benefits increase. In fact Ecopsychology has been researched for over 40 years and there’s growing evidence pointing to the mental health benefits of exposure to nature, especially while engaging in physical activity, such as walking. Even the father of psychoanalysis himself understood the benefits: Freud, who is often depicted scribbling notes as his clients lie down on a couch, analysed the composer Gustav Mahler on a four-hour walk, way back in 1910.

 

So far, so good. But before I decided to offer Walk & Talk sessions I decided to do a deep-dive into why therapy undertaken while on the move outdoors works so well. And here’s what I found:

 

1. Walking while you talk reduces stress and relieves anxiety Walking boosts endorphins and lowers cortisol levels, which helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression – in fact, some studies showed a reduction of up to 30%
2. Talking while walking helps communication  The side-by-side nature of Walk & Talk therapy removes the pressure of constant eye contact, often making it easier to discuss difficult, tricky or triggering topics
3. Movement boosts creative thinking. Not sure how to express what you mean? Movement can help stimulate thinking and help you find the right words
4. Moving your body improves physical wellbeing  While I don’t pretend to offer a workout during sessions, walking provides the benefits of light exercise, including improved circulation, lower blood pressure, and increased metabolic rate
5. Being in nature is good for you Rain or shine, spending time in green spaces can help ground you in the present and boost feelings of calmness while improving self-esteem. It’s brilliant for emotional regulation. In ecopsychology the relationship between humans and nature is explored based on the biophilia hypothesis, which proposed that we have an innate tendency to seek connections with the natural world – and the more disconnected we are from our natural environment, the more likely we are to become psychologically distressed
6. Walking while talking is more freeing for some  There are people who feel nervous being in a new space or feel ‘put on the spot’ in the counselling room – so talking while outdoors is a good alternative for anyone who feel claustrophobic or ‘restricted’ in a therapy room
7. Moving outdoors helps you to process emotions  While I can’t claim that walking therapy is like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) it does involve bilateral stimulation (your eyes naturally scan your environment, left to right, as you walk) and studies* which is a component of EMDR. Studies have shown that when you walk or run outdoors, you boost your mood and improve executive function

 

If you’d like to read more about the benefits of Walk & Talk therapy, check out this article on the BACP website here and I’ve included links to further studies below.

 

If you’re interested in trying a Walk & Talk therapy session, I’ll be holding these on Wednesday afternoons. Please get in touch here to find out more.

 

Study references:

NHS England. NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression. [Online.] https://tinyurl.com/mpad47wv (accessed July 2024).
Wolf T. Gustav Mahler meeting Sigmund Freud. [Online.] California: Mahler Foundation. https://tinyurl.com/4vshau5m (accessed May 2024).
Ulrich R. View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science 1984; 224(4647): 420–421.
Jimenez MP, DeVille NV, Elliott EG, Schiff JE, Wilt GE, Hart JE, James P. Associations between nature exposure and health: a review of the evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021; 18(9): 4790.
Grassini S. A systematic review and meta-analysis of nature walk as an intervention for anxiety and depression. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2022; 11(6): 1731.
Wilson EO. Biophilia. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; 1984.
Roszak T, Gomes ME, Kanner AD (eds). Ecopsychology: restoring the earth, healing the mind. New York: Counterpoint; 1995.
Jordan M. Nature and therapy: understanding counselling and psychotherapy in outdoor spaces. London: Routledge; 2015.
Cooley SJ, Jones CR, Kurtz A, Robertson N. ‘Into the wild’: a meta-synthesis of talking therapy in natural outdoor spaces. Clinical Psychology Review 2020; 77: 101841.
Newman E, Gabriel L. Investigating clients’ experiences of walk and talk counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 2023; 23(1): 125–133.
The British Psychological Society. Taking therapy outdoors guidance gets positive response [Online.] https://tinyurl.com/ye28dztt (accessed May 2024).
Cooley S, Robertson N. The use of talking therapy outdoors. [Online.] The British Psychological Society; 2020. https://tinyurl.com/3nh2p2rd (accessed May 2024).
Richards K, Hardie A, Anderson N. Outdoor mental health interventions and outdoor therapy: a statement of good practice. [Online.] The Institute for Outdoor Learning; 2020. https://tinyurl.com/bdh27e23 (accessed May 2024).
Rogers C. On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 1961.
Banach M, Lewek J, Surma S, Penson PE, Sahebkar A, Martin SS et al. The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2023;30(18): 1975–1985.
Kotera Y, Richardson M, Sheffield D. Effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy on mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2022; 20(1): 337–361.
Hansen MM, Jones R, Tocchini K. Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy: a state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2017; 14(8): 851.
Doherty AM, Gaughran F. The interface of physical and mental health. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2014; 49: 673–682.
Sharpley CF, Munro DM, Elly MJ. Silence and rapport during initial interviews. Counselling Psychology Quarterly 2005; 18(2): 149–159.
Kaplan R, Kaplan S. The experience of nature: a psychological perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1989.
Proctor G, Hayes C. Counselling for depression: a response to counselling education in the twenty-first century. Ethical conflicts for a counselling approach operating within a medicalised bureaucratic health service. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 2017; 45(4): 417–426.
Brazier C. Ecotherapy in practice: a Buddhist model. London: Routledge; 2018.
Djossou N. Reimagining therapy outdoors. Therapy Today 2023; 34(8): 32–35.
Collier B. Black absence in green spaces. [Online.] The Ecologist; 2019. https://tinyurl.com/43734kxk (accessed January 2024).
Living Well Consortium. Healing circles. [Online.] https://tinyurl.com/5fvfdx6a (accessed January 2024).

*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34811374/

 

@kaythomascounselling 2026