Offering Walking Therapy in Winter

Walking in a crisp, winter wonderland listening to a client, providing that non-judgemental space whilst getting your daily activity in… This is dream-job stuff. There’s much for outdoor therapists to be grateful for when the sun is out, the branches are sparkly with frost and you don’t have to sit in a stuffy, dark room.

But what about when you’re on your third week of rain, none of your walking shoes have time to properly dry, the wind daily peels microscopic layers of skin off and, if you work somewhere muddy, you have real concerns about your clients’ – and your own – safety? Once out in the ‘field’, perhaps you and your client struggle to see each other as rain streaks across your view, and you strain to hear each other’s voices, muffled by rustling nylon hoods. 

I have been offering outdoor therapy for three years now, meeting clients in a local park in Nottingham. The pros of walking with clients at any time of year still apply in winter, including the less intense side-by-side position, the sense of moving emotions and energy with each step, and the way a person can feel both contained by and released into nature.

Recently the big drop in temperature has confronted me with a dilemma: that of the wellbeing of the therapist, working all day in freezing temperatures, versus the needs of the client. While your client has had a jolly hour of crisp winter sun, you’re on your fourth hour of nature’s dermabrasion and questioning whether this is something you want to keep offering.

But who are you to deny your clients potentially the only hour outside to themselves this week? This is what you advertise, it’s even in your contract that there will be no cancellations unless there are dangerous weather conditions. What is dangerous, though? Physical danger? Emotional? Mental? The danger of not connecting with your client because your cheeks are burning?

Here are some things I’ve considered when walking with clients in winter, and ways in which I’ve adapted.
 

• Walking on uncertain surfaces? Where I work there are paved paths so I might suggest sticking to those if it’s wet or icy, and offer a quick reminder at the start of the session to beware of hazards. This reassures my fear of litigation (a sad but necessary concern). If a client slips, the sick feeling of responsibility will likely need to be processed in supervision. But in the moment, humanness, care, concern and practical action will suffice. Checking in with pain and ability to continue informs what happens next – I always have my phone on me in case I need to call for assistance. I don’t carry first-aid supplies because I know there are facilities where I work. 
   
• Updated your risk assessment? Insurance companies ask for risk assessments to be completed before working outdoors. Make sure yours includes seasonal risks.
   
• Somewhere to warm up between sessions? I build in 30 minutes between each session to sit in my car and sip a hot drink or soup. I also keep extra layers, waterproofs and dry shoes in my boot.
   
• Do you have a backup venue? Where I work, there are a couple of sheltered areas that we can sit under if there is heavy rain. If sitting, extra layers keep the cold at bay.
   
• Time to revisit your contracting? What if you started in summer and your client didn’t expect to stay on until winter? And oftentimes clients don’t hear everything you discuss at the start of the relationship. Addressing the change in season as it begins opens the dialogue, giving them opportunity to tune into what’s comfortable for them before it becomes obstructive. I conduct zoom sessions in the back of my car layered up and sat in a sleeping bag!
   
• Skin starting to burn? There’s a thick cocoa butter-based moisturiser that works a treat!
   

If you are prepared, conscious of balancing your needs with those of your clients, accepting you can’t focus on everything all the time and you’re well-prepared for accidents, then the good of walking therapy in winter far outweighs the bad. A red nose, rosy cheeks, cold bones and numb toes are fine when the client gets their refreshing, rainy walk where they let their feelings mix with the elements. Spring is always on its way and it’s bloomin’ lovely.