Walk and talk

Would you want to do walk and talk therapy under the current circumstances??

'''Walk and Talk''' Might Be the Future of Therapy | Elemental

I'd be open to it (walked around the courtyard in a couple sessions with ex-MC), but not sure if my T would be, based on something he said months ago when he mistakenly thought I might be asking for that. I also feel like it would keep me from being as open, and I'd be worried about crying in public. I imagine it could work well for T's in more rural areas, where there's less of a chance you'd cross paths with someone. But I also think...there are numerous T's near where Dr. T is--would everyone end up crossing paths? So I don't know...

I have gone on a couple of walks with T. Her office is in the heart of a the city during during rush hour. The city is small by many city standards but large by my areas standard. It isn't ideal and I would not go deep into trauma however it could good for rebuilding rapport.

Not now, or ever. But for physical reasons. I might consider sitting 6 feet away from her, but would we have to raise our voices to be heard? No privacy.
Until we can get back in her office, tele- therapy works, for me.

I did two walk-and-talks with my therapist last month. We were outside in a relatively isolated area. It was good but I think I actually prefer teletherapy.

I would like it I think - probably a little bit too much!! Intellectually I can see that it would probably blur the boundaries for me which I have a problem with anyway (as in, it would likely make me start wishing we could be friends again instead of t-client).

Additionally as LT said above I wouldn't want to start crying and I've been doing a good bit of that lately....

I could see doing one (if my T was open to it), just to feel connected in person again. Though I imagine we'd have to wear masks, so...I don't know. I had discussed with him months ago if I could have done a session from my car in his parking lot (he usually does telehealth sessions from his regular office), then he could come out and wave hi to me at the end. He was willing to do that, but I haven't taken him up on it (not sure if he still would be now), I was afraid it would make me feel more sad. I also (delusionally) thought this would only go on for a few months...so would just wait it out.

ETA: Hm, I wonder if I did that, if it might actually be better to do the wave thing at the start of session, because then we could process it (over phone, or possibly Facetime if I can get the coffeeshop's wifi from there). Rather than waving, then being left alone with all that.

I rarely cry in session so it wouldn't make much of a difference. I definitely couldnt do walk and talk every session but once in a while it is nice.

I wouldn't be able to do the kind of deep work that I did in the privacy of the office. Too distracting. Not enough surity of privacy. And I am in an area that is basically freezing or over 95 degrees most of the time - one or the other. Very few weeks of weather that would be terribly comfortable for this.

No. I want to be able to see her and see her eyes, look straight at each other.

I would when I need an easy session, like right before he goes away or the first session when he gets back. I think T would be hesitant though as he lives near to the office he works out of and is fairly well known in the area. It wouldn’t bother me but I would have to expect that someone might say hi to him and want to chat for a moment putting him in an awkward position.

I would consider anything that might mean we can meet in person. I feel like I’m burning out from video therapy. I’d even say yes to having a session on top of an active volcano at this stage.

I have done this twice. I think it depends a lot on what your expectations are and how comfortable you are talking about things with others possibly being around.

My T is located in a downtown area of a city. We have done two walks. Because of there being others around, she felt more comfortable wearing masks, even though we were outside.

First time was awesome. I had low expectations and thought it would be a light session. I felt really connected, even asked her some questions about her, which I rarely do. There were people around, but not too many, and it didn’t feel too rushed.

The second one was awful. It was super busy, and felt really rushed. I think her timing was off, but I was also super emotional and felt like I couldn’t really tell her what was wrong. She was trying to be helpful and could tell she wasn’t able to be.

I won’t be doing another walk for quite a while, partly because the last time was such a bad experience and I would rather utilize my time better.

I asked her if it would be an option and she said no. But I wasn’t against it.

My therapist and I go for walks often. We love it. I find it easier to talk about some things (like abuse) if we are next to each other and not eye to eye. We have had some really interesting walks in the woods and around lakes, etc. However, most of the time I prefer we look at each other while we talk.

No, I wouldn't want to do walk and talk therapy.

Despite the limitations of the online format, at least I get to see T face to face. Walking side by side would mean I would lose even this visual contact, so zero clue as to their expressions. In addition, wearing masks means I would be further restricted in only seeing their eyes. I might as well speak to them on the phone.

And what about ambient noise, focus on me/the client rather than being distracted by the scenery or the path, breathing for an hour under that dreaded piece of cloth?!

No thanks, I'll stick to online. That feels like an utter waste of time for me.

I would consider it. I'm not sure whether my T would. She mentioned somebody (I think a non-client) talking about "walk" therapy with her before. She said that she thought she wouldn't be able to zero in on the client and all their facial expressions and body language the way she likes to during sessions. But working under pandemic conditions has loosened her up a little and forced her to get creative, so she might be more open to it since you can't see facial expressions under a mask anyway. She would probably write a new consent form for it, though. She loooves her paperwork.

The area around her office is mostly residential with nice sidewalks. Further out it gets a little strip mall-ish. I could see finding a nice loop to do and sticking to that.

I am not sure what it would feel like. Probably a little lighter and less intense, but then my spouse and I usually have our best talks on walks, so maybe it would be like that. Not sure. It can be nice and a little weird when she acts like a normal person, and I bet that would happen if we were walking.

I talked to T about this and we MAY end up doing this. Going to continue to talk about it.