Would you be ok with your therapist working out during a session?

My therapist asked me if I would be ok if she used her treadmill when we did virtual sessions and I said "yeah thats fine."

Would you be ok with that or would you think it would be weird or triggering?

I would consider that an absurd thing for a therapist to ask a client.

Yes, it's a virtual session, but virtual sessions are not meant to be less effective.

If the therapist is working out, then their focus will be on that physical activity, and less on you as the client.

If I'm paying a therapist for their time, I would like their focus to be on what I've brought to the session.

If just walking on a treadmill and the noise was not annoying -it would not bother me at all. I think a lot better when I walk and I can listen so I can see where a treadmill would be a good thing. If she was running or huffing or messing with a heart rate monitor or such -then it would probably annoy me -but simple walking on a treadmill would not. I have a treadmill desk myself and used it while talking to clients etc on the phone

Some people finding walking meetings to be really beneficial in terms of boosting their thinking/focus while talking. Maybe it even makes her a better therapist. Who knows?

I'm one of those people that tend to pace when on the phone and sometimes use a walking pad treadmill during online meetings. Here's an interesting article about it: Stanford study finds walking improves creativity | Stanford Report

But if it bothers you, the client, then definitely say something. It's your session and she should only walk during your session if you're okay with it.

This would actually really bother me, in part because my therapist is an athlete and the fact that staying physically fit comes much more naturally to him than to me has been difficult for me at times.

I feel like if he was just casually walking on a treadmill--or worse, jogging/running--during our session, it would just sort of rub that in. Like, "Oh, look how physically fit I am--I can jog and still carry on this conversation." I'm sure he wouldn't mean it that way, but I think that would be going through my head.

Now, if we were to go for a walk *together*, that would be different. I've walked briefly with ex-MC and ex-T a couple times in the courtyard of their office when I was having a panic attack. I feel like the walking and being outside helped me to calm down. I doubt Dr. T would ever be willing to do that though--then again, we met outside of a coffee shop a few times during the pandemic, so maybe? Or if he were to demonstrate some stretching moves in the office, which I think he did once before (like ways to calm myself and meditate).

I suppose the difference for me is if it was more something we were doing together, rather than him trying to fit a workout in while meeting with me. I suppose if that was the only way we could meet, then possibly?

I never thought of using my desk treadmill as working out - it was more of a focus and way to keep from stiffening up and walking helps me think. I do use a treadmill in the winter for working out but the desk treadmill or if I am treadmilling while on the phone or something, for me, is different from what I consider working out.

To me there’s a difference between walking on a treadmill (a lot of therapists practice walking therapy) or running. To me, the first can easily encompass thoughtful conversation, the second (running) has heart rate up Adrenalin going, okay for random functional chats only - not thoughtful conversing. Has she said whether she intends to walk or run?

She said she will be walking but that her head will be "bopping back and forth."

I think the head bopping would bother me, but if you don't think it will bother you, it's worth a shot. Is she willing to stop if you find it uncomfortable (for whatever reason) partway through?

Yeah she would.

OK, that's good!

What’s on the planet 🤦*♀️

I just told my mom and she said "thats one of the silliest and inapropriate requests I think I've ever heard!"

That's a good point.
Her focus should be on you.

"Walking therapy" is something entirely different, generally discussed with the client at length.

I agree with your mom. The t's focus should be only on you. Even if it's "just walking" on a treadmill, you still have to pay attention to what you're doing so you don't accidentally step off the side or something (my h has actually done that while watching TV and walking on it) so the t's attention would have to be split between you and what she is doing on the treadmill. So yeah it would bother me. I'd be like, I'm not paying you to work out. I'm paying you to be present for me.

I would fear that the therapists focus on me would be diminished. I expect a therapist to be really tuned in and responsive to my emotional state as shown by my body language, tone of my voice etc, and I would fear that that their focus would be less if they were walking. I think I’d find their movements distracting too and I think this would affect how ‘present’ I was in the session. I need moments of stillness in the session too. I would say no.

Also, my T responds to my emotions with her body language. If she was walking on a treadmill, she wouldn’t be able to do this.

I would have no problem with it. when you think about it during 2020-2023 therapists were doing telehealth, virtual sessions, we are not in their homes. they probably did do their dishes, sat at their desks moving their legs exercising, some may have been using self power biking pedaling pedals at that feet, some may have been using self powered tred mills, some may have been writing notes we couldnt see, heck for all we know they could have been soaking their feet and legs in a foot soaker, foot massager or sitting against a mini back massager or other exercising. my own therapist was sitting there lifting cans of soup to keep her mind and body active during sessions.

bottom line its their home that they are in and I dont have a right to tell my therapist whether or not they can or cant move their off camera body parts during our sessions. sometimes she even sats on a yoga mat and does some meditations with me during sessions over covid shut downs.

we live in a world of telehealth and virtual sessions so its normal that our therapists may be actively trying to keep their minds and bodies grounded during sessions in what ever ways helps them to pay attention to the sessions. be it tread mill or yoga, doing dishes what ever Im all for it. lol

No, not unless I agreed to it. Otherwise therapist should give full attention, not doing other stuff at the same time.

I wouldn't be cool with her working out or walking during a session. I find that request to be very bizarre and rather unprofessional.

The only thing that might pass is if she were to invite you on a walk outdoors. A stroll and talking, but even then that might be too distracting...

Btw, what type of therapy is it? Talk-therapy: psychotherapy, CBT???

And what are this "therapist's" credentials? Is she a trained, fully-liscensed psychologist?

I ask because, from observation, there seems to be a lot of people parading around as therapist who perhaps shouldn't have the title.

Its talk therapy. The funny thing is today we were getting a bit off topic and she mentioned how we needed to get back on topic because we weren't being too theraputic at the moment. And I don't know. I just find some things funny in a sort of hypocritcal way.

I know one middle age therapist I had mentioned a lot of people are becoming therapists who shouldn't be ones.