Walk-and-Talk Therapy: The Ins and Outs of Moving Your Practice Outside

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C Related seminars and products

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Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C, of Positive Strides Therapy, moved her Maryland practice outside ten years ago. She's presented widely on the positive effects of doing therapy in motion and outdoors. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Psychotherapy Networker, Outside Magazine, and on Sirius XM radio.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jennifer Udler is the owner of Positive Strides, LLC. She receives a speaker honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jennifer Udler has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Objectives

1. Analyze the research and evidence showing the benefits of walking therapy. 
2. Assess how to handle issues around confidentiality in a public outdoor setting. 
3. Assess how to handle a client becoming openly emotional during a walking session in a park. 
4. Determine how to incorporate movement and nature into an effective therapy session. 

Outline

• Discuss the research and evidence showing the benefits of walking therapy. 
  • What is walk and talk?  Combining nature, movement, and therapy. Who has it worked well for?  Case examples. 
  • What are the origins of walk and talk therapy?  What are the various ways in which the practice is implemented?  How did I get started? Marathon training as a natural lead to an outdoor private practice. 
  • Background, research, and history of walking therapy. Explanation of the physiological response to movement, and how movement affects mood and anxiety levels. 
• Assess how to handle issues around confidentiality in a public outdoor setting. 
  • “Location, location, location”- the importance of space.  
  • Writing a comprehensive informed consent.  
  • Practical strategies for confidentiality challenges to being outdoors.
• Assess how to handle a client becoming openly emotional during a walking session in a park. 
  • Assessing the client’s needs.
  • Understanding your role in the therapeutic relationship. 
  • Being flexible, and what that actually looks like. 
• Discern how to incorporate movement and nature into an effective therapy session. 
  • Using nature as a prop, or third party in your session. 
  • Presenter will use video of outdoor sessions to demonstrate ways that nature supports the therapeutic process. 
  • Creative and applicable ways to weave nature into the therapeutic process. For example, rain, cold, and heat, can be a challenge. We can face it and live through it just like the challenges of life. Case examples. 

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Case Managers
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals

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