Therapy, one step at a time.

I have often explored the topic of mental health and the stigma associated with individuals who experience mental health difficulties. There is indeed a scale along which we all fall in relation to our mental health. There are conditions that necessitate medical intervention and intensive treatment over prolonged periods of time. Very often these might include inpatient treatment and ongoing support. Equally there are many more routine experiences with mental health which are often well managed in a supportive and caring counselling or psychotherapeutic setting. The factors that prevent each one of us from seeking support are so diverse and perhaps these barriers encapsulate some of the contributory factors which have brought about each of our mental health struggles. The age old perception of the strong man who does not talk and the caring female who seeks support in her broader female network are disappearing fast and I for one say, good riddance! These historically instituted beliefs have not served us well, and in 2020 Ireland they have no place. As I continue to encounter barriers to engaging in therapy, I have come to learn that it is indeed such a unique process for each person and therefore recovery must be treated accordingly, thus meaning that bespoke solutions and innovative activities must be offered to create a gateway to enter therapy.

“What people seek from counselling can be roughly summarised in a few categories, support, recovery, problem solving, gaining insight or self-awareness and or developing new strategies for living” (Worsley, 2014, p. 2).

Informed by my own personal and professional experience, I have begun to work with individuals in an alternate setting. Outdoors, in the fresh air. Indeed, I am not the first therapist to do this, but it is new to me. The experience is somewhat different and is not for every individual or therapist alike, but the aim of my work is to remove a barrier that might prevent a person from seeking support, recovery or problem solving. There are obvious considerations for me as a therapist around client and therapist safety as well as making sure that the highest standards of ethical and professional standards are always adhered to. But that is the professional aspect of my work, it is what I am trained to do. The other side of my work is to provide a supportive, caring environment where an individual might find within themselves an insight or self-awareness that once lay hidden. From here, they can develop their very own strategy for living. The aim of my work is very specific and focused. During these outdoor walking sessions, which last fifty minutes, I am hoping to make an in-road with an individual who might otherwise have found the office setting a step too far. Then, gently over time and once the individual is comfortable, we can progress our sessions back to the office environment where the important work and support can continue. Certain clients are more inclined towards my walk therapy. That does not necessarily mean or tell me anything about them, perhaps other than they are open to a different way of doing things, as am I. The very idea of walking therapy is different, it is a literal step outside the therapy room. But for me it is a gradual and acceptable step outside the room with one foot firmly grounded in the therapeutic traditions of past times and a constant adherence to the principle of “do no harm”. I hope you have enjoyed this brief introduction to my walk therapy sessions. If you would like to know more, please contact me at www.inatherapy.ie