This is counselling on the move, out in the fresh air, connecting with nature once again, stretching your legs after being sat down or locked in an office all week.  Walk and Talk is another way for you to connect with someone without having to experience the traditional counselling room.  We can alternate our sessions and have some outdoors and some indoors.  Its not an exercise program and we will only walk at your pace. It can also relieve the intensity of face to face counselling.  Most of the walks will be based in the south side of Sheffield around S11 area, but there are meetings places from bus stop routes that can be given to you at the time of booking.  You'll have a choice of Wood Walking or Park walking. You'll need to be mobile as you know, there aren't many places in Sheffield where we don't encounter at least one small hill!  AND.... its also weather dependent... no-one wants to walk in driving rain or strong winds or snow!

How it works: The first session takes place within the therapy room or 'virtual therapy room'  where the client and therapist get to know one another and decide on whether this is a suitable approach, the second session would then be outside.   During your first session we will also discuss issues of confidentiality and how we will negotiate encountering other people when out walking. For some people, walking outside might itself confront issues they would like to address, being outside after 'lock-down' may have had an impact on you. Having a therapist on your side might ease a return to engaging in social situations. The focus of walk and talk therapy is not on how fast or how far you can walk but on you, your process and what you are comfortable with. It could be a nice bench somewhere to chat.

As a holistic Counsellor and Mindfulness Practitioner I see the benefits that being out in nature grounds us again, re-connects the spiritual and reminds us of our natural transitions through life just like the cycles of nature.  We are more than just a body and just a mind, they are not separate from each other and I work with reintegrating you, understanding the whole, and becoming at peace with yourself again.  Walking Therapy lowers blood pressure, and helps channel unwanted or negative feelings out of the body, reducing stress. Being out in nature helps anxiety and depression by calming and lifting mood. It also promotes clearer thinking - by increasing blood flow.  It can be so beneficial and in these sessions together we can include some mindfulness into the walks out in nature if you wish, which has a naturally calming effect on anxiety and has been shown to help with low mood too.

Always happy to walk & talk