Hart Voluntary Action started providing free counselling for adults at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has been a well-used service since then. However, face to face counselling in a room does not suit everyone. Based on feedback from counsellors that some clients had been asking to go out for a walk during counselling sessions, we started to look into whether this was something we could offer.
In 2024 we were successful in securing seed funding* to start our Walk & Talk Counselling Service which we launched in July, and which has now been running for just over a year. We have two counsellors providing counselling sessions at Edenbrook Country Park. Counselling sessions start at the community garden, and then continue around the rest of the country park taking in the ponds, trees and wildlife, allowing counsellor and client to walk side by side and be in nature.
Since the service started last July, we have delivered over 230 counselling sessions and supported more than 20 adults. Counsellors working in the service have noticed that being outside can encourage people, especially men, to open up their emotions more and over 75% of the adults who have received counselling in the walk and talk service report an improvement in their mental health once completing their sessions.
*The initial funding was provided by the NHS Frimley Healthier Communities Innovation Fund (North East Hampshire), which was topped up by donations from a ‘Big Give’ Kind2Mind match-funding campaign. Further funding has been kindly provided by Fleet Hospital & Community Friends charity.