outdoor counselling
A walk in the park?
Combining counselling with an invigorating walk is becoming increasingly popular, and when the lockdown is over, Talkplace therapists will once again be offering outdoor counselling in Clapham Common, Wandsworth Common, Battersea Park, Wimbledon Common and other open spaces. So how does it work, exactly?
Outdoor counselling is exactly that: a set of counselling sessions that take place outside in the open air, and most often during the course of a good walk. It is proving popular - not just among those who live on the doorstep of beautiful rural countryside, but also for city dwellers, making the most of local parks and riverside walks.
As a venue for a talking therapy, the idea of outdoor counselling prompts an immediate comparison with ‘indoor counselling’. Which is better? Well, it’s almost impossible to say if one is better or worse. But they are each very different.
While some people find the therapy room a bit constricting at first sight - a small room usually, with just the two chairs and very little else to look at - it is built like this for a reason. It helps to keep the focus is on the communications (verbal and otherwise) between counsellor and client, while the closed room provides a safe and private space for a confidential discussion. It is an unchanging background that becomes a neutral backdrop - one that is quickly ignored, but which serves its purpose, containing what goes on within its four walls.
Outdoor counselling is distinctly different, and is perhaps a more laid-back format for talking therapy, which may help explain its popularity. Walking side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, the privacy of the conversation is maintained - with the occasional pause, perhaps, for passers-by. And as the walk progresses, the surroundings change: so what we see around us may feed into the conversation, sometimes triggering unexpected thoughts, feelings, and memories. The lack of the ‘neutral backdrop’ - so essential to the indoor version of counselling - can lead instead to unlooked-for discoveries. Not to mention some healthy, beneficial exercise.
WHICH WORKS FOR YOU?
In-person • Phone • Zoom • Outdoor
