If you’ve found that sitting in a room, face-to-face, trying to explain what’s going on can feel intense, or simply not the easiest for you, then walking therapy can be a genuinely different experience.
Walking therapy (also sometimes called walk-and-talk therapy) is a real therapy session that takes place outdoors while we walk at a gentle pace. The heart of it is still therapy: a structured, confidential conversation that helps you make sense of what’s happening, notice patterns, and move towards change. But for many people, the process of walking outdoors adds something important: movement, fresh air, and a natural, embodied steadiness that can make it easier to settle, speak, and think.
At Springdale Psychology, we offer walking therapy across our Cheshire locations, with routes agreed in advance.
Want a fuller feel for what it’s like? Read our article: Walking Therapy in Cheshire: Getting out of your head, by getting out of the therapy room
Walking therapy is talking therapy that happens outside rather than in the therapy room. We walk at your pace, and we can pause or sit whenever you need. It’s not about distance or fitness, and getting your steps in. It’s about getting out of the traditional therapy room to create the conditions that help you feel able to talk and be supported.
Many people find the walking itself becomes part of what helps. It can bring a sense of rhythm and grounding that’s harder to access when you’re sitting still. Walking simply gives us a steady, real-world activity that naturally draws attention back to breath, body, and surroundings while we do the therapeutic work.
People often choose walking therapy because it supports a different way of being in therapy; one that can feel gentler and more workable when life already feels heavy, busy, or overwhelming.
It can be especially helpful if you:
The side-by-side element of the conversation during walking therapy has been found to be one of the key benefits, but so does the outdoor setting and the gentle movement. Together, they can create a calmer focus that help many people speak more freely and feel more steady while doing the work of therapy.
We’ll agree a meeting point and a route that supports privacy, comfort, and accessibility. Sessions are paced around you. If needed, there’s space for pauses, silence, emotion, and taking things gently.
If you get tearful outside, that’s okay. People have private moments on walks all the time, and passers-by don’t automatically assume anything. If what you want to explore feels particularly sensitive that day, you can request an indoor session, either just for that week or as your main format.
Many clients also choose a blend: walking sessions when they want space and movement, and indoor sessions when they want more privacy or containment. There’s no “right” way to do therapy, and choice is important. We aim to shape your support around what supports you best.
Contact Springdale Psychology today to schedule your session
Because we’re outdoors, we plan with care. That includes choosing sensible routes, agreeing how we’ll handle passing others, and having a simple plan if anything feels uncomfortable. We also take weather seriously. We do aim to walk through various conditions (yes, including rain), and we have large umbrellas ready and we’ll simply encourage you to dress for the day. If there are weather warnings or conditions that could increase risk (high winds, ice, storms), we’ll contact you to switch to an indoor session or rearrange.
If walking therapy feels like it could suit you, even if you’re only curious, you’re very welcome to get in touch and consider taking the next step.
Please complete the contact form here to get in touch. We’ll come back to you to talk through your therapy needs.
It can be, with good planning. We choose quieter routes and agree in advance what to do if someone passes, so you feel safe and in control.
It can support anxiety, stress, burnout, low mood, trauma, rumination, relationship difficulties, grief, and life transitions. Most things really. We will consider what you need and whether this approach is clinically suitable for you before moving to any booking.
That’s okay. We can slow down, pause, sit, ground, and steady. You won’t be rushed or left coping alone. It’s completely okay to get emotional in a walking session. People cry or show emotion on walks for all sorts of reasons, and anyone passing by is far more likely to assume you’re having a private moment, a difficult day, or simply a conversation with someone supportive. If tears come, we can slow down, pause, sit, or take a moment to ground. And if what you want to explore feels too sensitive to do outdoors that day, you can absolutely request to switch to an indoor session, or choose to stick with indoor therapy as your main format. We’ll follow what helps you feel safe and contained.
Comfortable shoes (suitable for the conditions that day), layers (as needed), and something appropriate for the weather that day. We’ll keep it practical. We do have umbrellas, but please do bring anything else that you feel you may need to feel comfortable.
We will aim to walk in most weathers, but we don’t wish to take any risks. If there are weather warnings or the weather or other conditions would present a risk to our safety, then we can switch to an indoor session or reschedule, whichever best supports you.
We plan for this in advance. Some people prefer that we pause the conversation until they’ve passed; others prefer to simply carry on walking and pick up the thread once they’re out of earshot. You stay in control of what feels most discreet.
Sometimes it can help, because it feels less intense than sitting face-to-face and can support grounding. But if being outdoors or around others increases your anxiety, we can start indoors, choose quieter routes, or keep walking therapy as an occasional option rather than the default.
