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Side by side
Some people find conversation feels different when they are walking beside someone rather than sitting directly across from them.
Eco & nature-based therapy
Sometimes therapy can happen while we walk.
I offer eco and nature-based therapy, including walk-and-talk sessions, in South Gwinnett County.
For some people, being outdoors and moving alongside someone creates a different way to talk, notice, reflect, and engage in the work.
Walk-and-talk therapy is available in Lawrenceville, Loganville, and Snellville.
Telehealth therapy remains available to clients located throughout Georgia.
Therapy outside
The room does not always need four walls.
Traditional therapy settings work well for many people.
For others, sitting face-to-face or remaining in one place can feel less natural than talking while moving through an outdoor environment.
Walk-and-talk therapy brings the conversation outside.
We walk at a comfortable pace while doing the same kind of thoughtful, relational, and practical work that can happen in other therapy settings.
The walk is not the therapy by itself.
It is the setting in which the work takes place.
The broader approach
Walk-and-talk is one expression of eco and nature-based therapy.
Eco and nature-based therapy recognizes that people do not exist separately from their environments.
Where we spend our time, how we move through our surroundings, what we notice, and how connected or disconnected we feel from the natural world can all become part of the context we bring into therapy.
In my work, nature is not treated as a cure or a replacement for the therapeutic relationship.
It can become another part of the environment in which we notice, reflect, talk, move, and make sense of what is happening.
This fits within my broader holistic and integrative approach, which looks at the whole context surrounding a problem rather than treating one part of a person’s life in isolation.
Holistic & Integrative TherapyWhy walk-and-talk
Moving can change the experience of the conversation.
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Movement
Walking gives the body something simple and familiar to do while the conversation unfolds.
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The outdoor environment
Being outside gives us changing surroundings to notice rather than remaining in one enclosed space for the entire session.
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A different rhythm
Walking can create natural moments of conversation, silence, reflection, and movement without requiring every moment to be filled.
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Real-world context
The work still centers on what brought you to therapy, including relationships, identity, belief, transitions, responsibilities, patterns, choices, and change.
What a session is like
We are still doing therapy. We are just doing it outside.
A walk-and-talk session is not a fitness session, hiking challenge, or exercise program.
We walk at a pace that supports conversation.
The focus remains on the concerns, relationships, patterns, questions, and choices that brought you to therapy.
Depending on what you are working on, we may talk about a relationship pattern, clarify values, examine a story you have been carrying, think through a decision, notice what is happening in the moment, or identify something you want to approach differently after the session.
You do not need to be athletic or interested in strenuous exercise to consider walk-and-talk therapy.
Privacy outdoors
Being outside changes the setting, including some of the privacy considerations.
Walk-and-talk sessions take place in public outdoor environments.
Unlike a private office or private telehealth setting, other people may occasionally be nearby or pass within view or hearing distance.
Before beginning walk-and-talk work, Zakiya Muwwakkil Akerele and the client can discuss the practical expectations and privacy considerations associated with meeting outdoors.
South Gwinnett
Walk-and-talk therapy close to home.
Walk-and-talk therapy is available in South Gwinnett County, including:
- Lawrenceville
- Loganville
- Snellville
These locations describe the geographic area where Zakiya Muwwakkil Akerele offers walk-and-talk therapy.
Specific meeting logistics can be handled through the appropriate therapy scheduling process.
Telehealth remains available to clients located throughout Georgia.
Is walk-and-talk right for you?
You can choose the setting that makes sense for the work.
Walk-and-talk may appeal to you if you like being outdoors, prefer movement to sitting for an entire session, or are simply curious about doing therapy in a different environment.
It will not be the right format for every person, every concern, or every session.
Nature-based work is an option, not a requirement.
You do not need to prefer outdoor therapy in order to work with Zakiya Muwwakkil Akerele.
Connected work
The setting can change. The larger approach stays connected.
Get started
Interested in taking the conversation outside?
I offer walk-and-talk therapy in Lawrenceville, Loganville, and Snellville, with telehealth available to clients throughout Georgia.
If you are interested in walk-and-talk therapy, use the existing Cardinal therapy pathway to get started.