In Person Therapy in Midlothian VA | Walk and Talk Therapy

Walk and talk therapy is an in person therapy when we meet up outside at a set location and walk. While it may sound a bit unusual, it is a therapeutic modality that has gained empirical support for effectiveness (Prince-Llewellyn & McCarthy, 2025).

This is still therapy — I am a fully licensed and credentialed therapist. I am trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). We develop a treatment plan with real goals. We do real therapy. We just do it all while taking a stroll through a beautiful natural environment.

Nature therapy

There is a growing body of research to suggest that nature therapy, which entails the deliberate use of natural environments like the outdoors for therapeutic benefit, can help to improve a variety of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression (Jessen et al., 2025). Why is this? The bilophiliia hypothesis suggests that we have a natural affinity to want to connect with nature and other people. This hypothesis has strong research to back it up (Gaekwad, 2022). We have a deep desire to connect with nature and other forms of life, including other people. Walk and talk therapy combines both of these things!

Walking outdoors as self-care

Walking outdoors is a self-care habit. We spend so much of our daily lives sitting down in enclosed spaces that look more-or-less like sensory-deprivation tanks. Often white or gray walls. Little in the way of sensory input except glowing screens.

When we get outdoors, especially to a place with a lot of greenspace, it’s a full sensory-emersion experience. We feel the breeze on our skin, hear birds chirping, see leaves rustling. Walking outdoors serves not only as exercise, but as a grounding exercise. That is, it helps us to feel more mindfully aware and rooted to our environment. Walking itself is therapeutic. Add in person therapy on top, and that’s a dynamic duo!

Where do we meet?

I mostly use Sunday Park and Midlothian Mines in Midlothian, VA as locations. I have selected these because they offer a combination of accessibility, natural beauty, and low foot-traffic during traditional workday hours. Midlothian Mines is a public park, while Sunday Park is private but we are able to use it because I am a resident of the Brandermill community where it is located.

Frequently asked questions about what and talk therapy

Below are some common questions about walk and talk therapy.

What is walk and talk therapy again?

Instead of meeting in an office or virtually, we meet outside in person and walk while we do our work together.

Where do we meet?

We meet and walk at either Sunday Park in Brandermill or Midlothian Mines park on Woolridge Road. I have selected these locations because they offer a combination of accessibility, natural beauty, and low foot-traffic during traditional workday hours.

What do you do about bad weather?

We often just grab a raincoat, an umbrella, or some gloves and a hat and just go. Surprisingly, perhaps, when the weather gets interesting, it can actually help people to open up. But if the forecast gets too bad, or if you have any particular concerns about it, we can always switch to a virtual session.

How fast do you walk?

Not very — this is therapy, not a race. The idea is to get your body moving and to enjoy nature, not to push yourself to the limit. I’m happy to walk at your pace.

What made you start doing walk and talk therapy?

My therapy setup for many years was the typical office with a couch. Between sessions, whenever possible, I would go outside and take a walk around the block. It was energizing, restorative, and relaxing all at once. These walks once or twice a day became a ritual — a crucial part of my self-care. Eventually I started wondering, “why not invite my clients along?” So, I did with just a few of them. And it genuinely seemed to help. They would open up differently and reflect in new ways. Right when I started doing this, the covid pandemic hit, so I suspended my in person sessions and moved my practice online. After the pandemic, I decided to do a hybrid approach to therapy — offering online and in person walk and talk.

References

Blakeslee, S. B., Koch, A. K., Schröter, M., Jeitler, M., Ngandeu Schepanski, S., Boujnah, H., Brunnhuber, S., Mudu, P., Forastiere, F., Michalsen, A., Seifert, G., & Kessler, C. S. (2026). Effects of greenspace interventions on mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 111, Article 102919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102919

Gaekwad, J. S., Sal Moslehian, A., Roös, P. B., & Walker, A. (2022). A Meta-Analysis of Emotional Evidence for the Biophilia Hypothesis and Implications for Biophilic Design. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 750245. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.750245

Jessen, N. H., Løvschall, C., Skejø, S. D., Madsen, L. S. S., Corazon, S. S., Maribo, T., & Poulsen, D. V. (2025). Effect of nature-based health interventions for individuals diagnosed with anxiety, depression and/or experiencing stress-a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open, 15(7), e098598. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098598

Prince-Llewellyn, H., & McCarthy, P. (2025). Walking and talking for well-being: Exploring the effectiveness of walk and talk therapy. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 25, e12847. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12847