They Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk: Psychotherapists' Experiences of Psychotherapy While Walking in Nature

Abstract

Background: A growing body of research supports the hypothesis that, by themselves, psychotherapy, nature exposure, and mild exercise have positive effects on mental health, in particular for depressed clients. In this pilot study, we investigate whether a study combining all three of these factors in walk and talk psychotherapy in a natural setting is feasible in an outpatient context. Methods: In this paper, we examine the experiences of participating psychotherapists. For this purpose, we performed a qualitative content analysis on seven semi-structured qualitative interviews comparing psychotherapy in an outdoor setting to psychotherapy performed in a traditional indoor setting. Findings: Our findings show that the psychotherapists encountered challenges in the outdoor setting, but that, overall, various advantages outweighed these challenges. The main challenges related to the outside setting that psychotherapists voiced in the interviews were a lack of a calm, controlled environment, as well as privacy concerns. On the other hand, the advantages of the natural setting were an experience of a deeper connection, as well as physical movement. Despite the challenges, the interviewed therapists felt positively about future outdoor psychotherapy sessions and saw this setting as an enrichment to their therapy. Conclusion: Their experiences also offer insight into how best to overcome common challenges, advantages to be expected, and what to consider when integrating an outdoor setting into therapy. Further research is needed to investigate both the experiences of clients and quantitative effects of psychotherapy while walking in nature.