What Is Walk and Talk Therapy?
Article authored by the ISPC
Walk and talk therapy is a simple yet powerful approach that’s gaining momentum across the UK. Instead of sitting face-to-face in a traditional counselling room, client and therapist walk side-by-side through a park, woodland path, or quiet urban trail while talking.
This gentle movement, fresh air, and natural surroundings often ease the intensity of therapy, making it easier for people to open up, think clearly, and feel less self-conscious. For many, the act of walking reduces the pressure of eye contact and creates a more relaxed, conversational dynamic—ideal for those who find conventional therapy settings too formal or intimidating.
As interest grows, more people are searching for terms like “walk and talk therapist near me,” “outdoor counselling UK,” and “alternative therapy for anxiety,” reflecting a genuine public desire for accessible, human-centred mental health support.
The Accessibility and Benefits of Walking While Talking
One of the biggest advantages of walk and talk therapy is its accessibility. It removes some of the barriers that keep people from seeking help—whether it’s discomfort with traditional settings, social anxiety, or simply a preference for movement over stillness. Research suggests that light physical activity like walking can lower cortisol levels, boost mood, and enhance creative thinking, all of which support therapeutic progress.
Clients often report feeling more “in flow” during sessions, with insights arising more naturally as they move through space. This modality is especially effective for adults dealing with stress, mild to moderate anxiety, life transitions, or feelings of stagnation. It’s also increasingly popular among men, who may be more likely to engage in therapy when it’s framed as a shared activity rather than a clinical appointment. Long-tail searches such as “walk and talk therapy for men UK” or “counselling while walking near me” highlight this growing niche.
Ethical Therapy Practice in Outdoor Settings
Despite its benefits, walk and talk therapy requires thoughtful ethical practice. Therapists must consider confidentiality in public spaces, weather contingencies, physical accessibility, and client safety.
Reputable practitioners always discuss boundaries, route options, and emergency protocols in advance. They also ensure they hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance and belong to a recognised professional body that supports innovative practice. While mainstream organisations have been slow to embrace outdoor modalities, newer, practitioner-led memberships like the International Society of Professional Counsellors (ISPC) actively encourage ethical innovation, offering community, guidance, and professional recognition for therapists working outside traditional frameworks. This support is crucial for maintaining high standards while expanding what therapy can look like.
How to Find a Qualified Walk and Talk Therapist
If you’re searching for a walk and talk therapist, it’s important to verify their qualifications. Look for someone with a recognised counselling diploma (such as a Level 4 Advanced Diploma or degree), ongoing supervision, and clear ethical guidelines.
Many therapists now include “walk and talk” in their Google Business Profile, making them easier to find through searches like “outdoor therapist Bristol” or “walking counselling London.” Being listed on Google Maps significantly increases visibility for local clients, so a professional online presence—including a simple website with clear service descriptions—is essential.
Keywords like “affordable walk and talk therapy UK” or “person-centred outdoor counselling” can help you connect with practitioners whose approach aligns with your needs.
Starting Walk and Talk Therapy as a Practitioner
For counsellors considering this modality, starting is simpler than you might think. Begin by identifying safe, quiet walking routes near your base—parks with benches, canal paths, or nature reserves work well. Update your website and Google listing to reflect this service, using natural language clients actually search for. Ensure your insurance covers outdoor practice (many UK insurers do, but always confirm).
Most importantly, integrate walk and talk as one option among others—some clients will prefer it, others won’t, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to replace traditional therapy but to offer a flexible, responsive alternative that meets people where they are—literally and emotionally.
Why Walk and Talk Therapy Matters
Walk and talk therapy isn’t a trend; it’s a return to a more embodied, relational form of healing. In a world where mental health support often feels institutional or transactional, walking side-by-side with another human being—sharing silence, movement, and words—can feel deeply restorative. It honours the fact that healing doesn’t only happen in rooms with boxes of tissues and diplomas on the wall. Sometimes, it happens under open skies, with birdsong in the background and the rhythm of footsteps keeping time with your thoughts.
Supporting Innovation in Counselling Practice
As public awareness grows, so does the need for ethical, well-trained practitioners who can offer this service with integrity. Professional communities that value innovation over bureaucracy play a key role in this evolution. By supporting therapists to work creatively while maintaining high standards, we expand access to care for those who might otherwise never walk through a therapy door—because, in this case, there isn’t one. The ISPC supports you in your own journey helping people with walk and talk therapy if they choose. (Or running and sweating therapy as the featured image implies )
If you’re curious about walk and talk therapy—whether as a client or a practitioner—you’re part of a quiet but important shift toward more human, flexible, and grounded mental health support. And that’s something worth walking toward.
Links for you
- https://www.ispc.org.uk – Official ISPC website for professional membership and ethical guidance
- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health – NHS overview of talking therapies for general context
- https://www.ispc/therapists.org.uk – ISPC Therapist directory where therapists can list walk and talk services
- https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk – Mental Health Foundation’s resources on nature and wellbeing
Learn more, and be yourself: www.ispc.org.uk
Membership is open to students, qualified counsellors and psychotherapists committed to ethical, supervised practice in the UK and around the world…
Further Resources for ISPC Members:
We encourage all ISPC members to consider contributing to ISPC News and sharing their unique perspectives and insights. Your contributions help build a valuable resource for the therapy and counselling community.
And lastly, we appreciate those that have already come forward with their ideas and writings, we are uploading these blogs over the next few weeks and months.
Kindest Regards
ISPC Team
