Walk and Talk Therapy - by Jennifer Udler (Paperback)

About the Book

Feeling restricted by her office-bound clinical practice, licensed clinical social worker Jen Udler decided to take therapy outdoors. Walking on local nature trails with her clients proved to be the breakthrough Jen was looking for. The calming presence of nature provided a rich and varied backdrop for every therapy session, offering natural metaphors for each client's experience, while the rhythmic movement cultivated deeper connections between mind and body. Walking side by side also deepened the interactions between Jen and her clients, empowering her to gently guide them forward on their path through one season and into the next. In Walk and Talk Therapy: A Clinician's Guide to Incorporating Movement and Nature into Your Practice, Jen presents the many benefits of an outdoor, movement-based psychotherapy practice and provides tools for clinicians to develop their own version, no matter where or with whom they practice. The book is organized into four parts, each corresponding with a season of the year that serves as a metaphor for our adaptability in the face of life's constant changes. Inside, you'll find answers for your questions about how to take your therapy practice outside, including: - Advice on foundational concerns such as ethics and safety - Tips to preserve confidentiality in an open and public setting - Practical considerations like timing, note taking, and the inherent unpredictability of the great outdoors - Client stories, from inspiring breakthrough moments to spontaneous encounters leading to poignant illustrations of growth - A roadmap for crafting a holistic sensory experience to aid your therapeutic work As you read, you'll learn how the connection between natural conditions at various times of year may parallel the moods and mindsets you encounter in your clients. Learn how you can harness the unique beauty of each passing season to help your clients discover a healing sense of direction and meaning.

Book Synopsis

Feeling restricted by her office-bound clinical practice, licensed clinical social worker Jen Udler decided to take therapy outdoors. Walking on local nature trails with her clients proved to be the breakthrough Jen was looking for. The calming presence of nature provided a rich and varied backdrop for every therapy session, offering natural metaphors for each client's experience, while the rhythmic movement cultivated deeper connections between mind and body. Walking side by side also deepened the interactions between Jen and her clients, empowering her to gently guide them forward on their path through one season and into the next.

In Walk and Talk Therapy: A Clinician's Guide to Incorporating Movement and Nature into Your Practice, Jen presents the many benefits of an outdoor, movement-based psychotherapy practice and provides tools for clinicians to develop their own version, no matter where or with whom they practice. The book is organized into four parts, each corresponding with a season of the year that serves as a metaphor for our adaptability in the face of life's constant changes.

Inside, you'll find answers for your questions about how to take your therapy practice outside, including:

• Advice on foundational concerns such as ethics and safety
• Tips to preserve confidentiality in an open and public setting
• Practical considerations like timing, note taking, and the inherent unpredictability of the great outdoors
• Client stories, from inspiring breakthrough moments to spontaneous encounters leading to poignant illustrations of growth
• A roadmap for crafting a holistic sensory experience to aid your therapeutic work

As you read, you'll learn how the connection between natural conditions at various times of year may parallel the moods and mindsets you encounter in your clients. Learn how you can harness the unique beauty of each passing season to help your clients discover a healing sense of direction and meaning.

Review Quotes

"When most of us think of therapy, we picture it taking place in an office that probably includes a couch. But as Jen Udler's fantastic new book shows us, it doesn't have to be this way! Walk and Talk Therapy shows us how the therapeutic experience can be transformed by taking things outside and getting ourselves moving. By combining traditional therapy with the life-changing benefits of being in nature and moving our bodies, we can take things to the next level and help people live happier, healthier lives. Best of all, this gem of a book combines inspiring client stories with practical advice on how to incorporate walking and nature into therapy." --Jonah Paquette, PsyD, author of Happily Even After, Awestruck, and The Happiness Toolbox

"Walk and Talk Therapy is an honest and personal sharing of Jennifer Udler's expertise and experience about leveraging the power of nature as a partner in therapy. Udler's storytelling and humor makes for a fun and entertaining learning experience. Bravo!" --Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, certified nature and forest therapy guide and founder of Park Rx America

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"Jennifer Udler has created a useful guide to walking therapy for practicing clinicians. I have found it helpful, and I recommend it to others who are interested in charting their own path on this exciting modality." --Thomas Doherty, PsyD, past president of the Society for Environmental, Population and Conservation Psychology and founding editor of the academic journal Ecopsychology

About the Author

Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker and the founder of Positive Strides Therapy, a psychotherapy practice that incorporates walk and talk therapy. After sitting in an office for 13 years, she decided to move her practice outdoors. She has since found her interactions with clients to be deeper, more uplifting, and therapeutic in both mind and body. She has had the honor of working with a variety of clients and issues, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, high-risk adolescents, LGBTQ+ individuals, trauma, divorce, grief/loss, and developmental disabilities. She has presented at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, Innovations in Psychotherapy Conference, Leading Edge Seminars, Mind Body Training Institute, and National Walking Summit; has been featured in The Washington Post, the Psychotherapy Networker magazine, Sirius XM radio, and Outside Magazine; and has written a guest blog for the National Recreation and Park Association.