Walk’n’talk therapy is up and running…er…walking, that is! 🙂

Bergen and Associates walk and talk therapy has begun again with outdoor counseling in Winnipeg

This was one brutally cold winter, and walk’n’talk therapy sessions were put on hold. We started this last summer…and decided we just loved the possibilities. I’ve begun them in the last few weeks and was once again reminded that we were meant to walk.

Walking forward in a session does something to change the conversation with a person trying to move forward in life.

Being in nature with the sunshine and the open spaces creates a different space for discussion. Thinking “outside the box” just comes naturally when outside the four walls of the counselling office.

There’s something about fresh air that creates freshness in old issues that have stale ways of thinking.

We have one year of experience offering Walk’n’Talk therapy and found it to be a resounding success for clients who chose it.

When the path seems uncertain, keep walking. Find a companion to lean on and keep walking. Don

So…here’s the deal:

If you’re interested in walk’n’talk therapy, book an initial session which will occur in our counselling office on Pembina, letting us know that is something you’d want. Bring it up to the therapist at the first session and we will get you to read over and sign an informed release for the next session to be done while walking.
If you are a current client and are interested in this program, ask Melanie/Del or your therapist and we will get you the forms to complete to begin the following session.
We cross Pembina Highway at the lights and walk down Crane Ave. (a quiet residential street) and around Crescent Drive Park and then back to the office via Crane. It is about a 50 minute walk, leaving time for us to get organized at the beginning and wrap up at the end in the office.
Either you or your therapist can decide on any given day if walking is not a good idea with regards to weather or personal health issues

We recognize that health is best understood as something involving body, heart, mind, and soul. Walk’n’talk therapy combines an hour of physical activity with the meaningful dialogue of therapy.

Given that we use our bodies to feel our emotions and carry out the expression of our thoughts and feelings, it only makes sense to actively involve our bodies in the work of therapy.

A past client** who has used walk’n’talk therapy says she found:

it’s freeing, a sense of space, of freedom. I love being able to see the sky
it’s a feeling of equality. It is therapy to be sure, and the conversation isn’t easy, but there is something about walking alongside someone that feels like being more equal. That creates a certain level of comfort
it’s a ray of light. Therapy is hard work, and doing something pleasant during the tough stuff feels good
being out in nature is food for the soul. It’s uplifting, refreshing. Except for the Pembina Highway bloc, the path is quiet, most of it is lined with beautiful trees. A squirrel might scamper by, it encircles a golf course. It is a lovely walk
exercise stimulates my body, mind and soul

**used with permission of the client