Step Into Mental Clarity: Exploring Walk-and-Talk Therapy

Imagine watching the clouds move across the sky as you stroll through a quiet park. The breeze flows against your face; the ground is steady beneath your feet. You hear birds and rustling leaves, and beside you, your therapist speaks—not from across a desk, but while walking with you. Each step lightens the weight of your thoughts. This is the essence of Walk-and-Talk Therapy, a practice growing in popularity, especially since the rise of remote and alternative therapy approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global pandemic changed how we live, work, and interact, opening the door for creative approaches like Walk-and-Talk Therapy.

Walk-and-Talk Therapy stands apart from traditional in-office sessions or telehealth. It integrates the mental benefits of therapy with the physical benefits of movement. Research shows that physical activity positively affects anxiety, depression, self-esteem, insomnia, and other conditions (Hus et al., 2021; Lu et al., 2020). As a bonus, walk-and-talk therapy is often covered by insurance, making it accessible to most clients!

Where is the best place to do Walk-and-Talk?

Walk-and-talk sessions can really happen anywhere outdoors, because all you need is fresh air and a walking path. However, here at Your Family Wellness Village, we have selected two ideal settings in which we conduct our walk-and-talk sessions, easily accessible from our office:

• Newtown Park – Glen Ellyn, IL - Directly across from our office, Newtown Park is a well-kept recreational park featuring baseball fields and a smooth walking track. Two loops around the park cover about a mile, making it a convenient and energizing spot to hold therapy sessions while staying close to the office.

  
  

• Panfish Park – Glen Ellyn, IL

  Just a 2-minute walk from our office, across from Roosevelt Rd, Panfish Park offers a more tranquil, natural setting with peaceful trails and a scenic pond. It’s an ideal location for clients looking for a quieter space to reflect during their therapy session.

  
  

Established Benefits of Walk-and-Talk Therapy:

• Stimulates creative and emotional thinking

• Encourages easier, more natural conversation

• Breaks the routine of office therapy

• Strengthens the mind-body connection

Additional reported benefits include:

• Reduced stress

• Tension relief

• Clearing of intrusive thoughts

• Decrease in negative rumination

These factors can enrich the therapeutic experience, deepen the client-therapist relationship, and provide tools that clients can use both during and outside of sessions. Yet, no method is without its drawbacks. Walk-and-Talk Therapy has its limitations and may not suit every client or situation.

Potential Barriers:

• Confidentiality Concerns:

  Being in public spaces limits privacy. Clients might worry about being overheard or recognized.

• Overstimulation from the Environment:

  Crowds, noise, or distractions may disrupt focus or trigger sensory overload

If you're considering doing Walk-and-Talk Therapy with your clinician at Your Family Wellness Village, here are a few pointers:

How to Prepare:

• Scout Your Route:

  Ask your therapist before starting sessions about the path that will be used, making sure it feels safe, easy to access, and offers some privacy, also asking about a quiet, calming space along the path without too many distractions so you can focus and feel at ease during your session.

  
  

• Set Clear Expectations:

  Have your therapist clearly explain what to expect in these sessions, including how they’re structured, the possible benefits, and any risks. This can help you think about whether this approach feels right for you and fits your personality.

  
  

• Educate Yourself About the Benefits:

  If you’re on the fence but feel intrigued, do some research on how Walk-and-Talk Therapy can benefit you. Above, we mention a few benefits, but there are many more.

  
  

• Stay Attuned to Cues:

  Remain aware and curious about what your body is doing and the emotions you are feeling while walking. The rhythm can help you feel calmer, and being mindful during movement helps you notice what you’re feeling and pay attention to what you need in the moment.

Walk-and-Talk Therapy with your clinician at Your Family Wellness Village offers significant benefits, including reducing stress, relieving physical tension, clearing the mind of intrusive thoughts, and decreasing negative ruminative patterns. Clients have shared that this approach has helped them better connect with themselves, process emotions, and explore new ways to incorporate mindfulness practices into their daily lives. However, like any innovative method, Walk-and-Talk Therapy may present challenges that may not suit everyone. We wish to continue encouraging our clients to explore new approaches that support growth in their mental health journeys, utilizing the readily available resources right here in our own backyard.

"Mindfulness is not about escaping the world, but about being fully present in it." — Jon Kabat-Zinn

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 *In order to be covered by insurance, walk-and-talk sessions need to start from the office, and end at the office.

Reference:

Bratman, G., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K., Daily, G., & Gross, J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8576–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112

Clark, D. (2019). Adult clients’ experience of walk and talk therapy. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, 6779. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6779

Greenleaf, A. T., Williams, J. M., Leibsohn, J., Park, J., & Walther, B. (2023). “Put On Your Walking Shoes”: a phenomenological study of clients’ experience of walk and talk therapy. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 19(3), 352–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2023.2247318

Hsu, M., Lee, S., Yang, H., & Chao, H. (2021). Is brisk walking an effective physical activity for promoting Taiwanese adolescents’ mental health? Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 60, e60–e67. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.03.012

Phillips, R., Evans, B., & Muirhead, S. (2015). Curiosity, place and wellbeing: Encouraging placespeci#c curiosity as a ‘way to wellbeing’. Environment and Planning A, 47(11), 2339–2354. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X15599290