Some things are easier to say when you're not sitting across from someone, staring at a box of tissues on the coffee table. Walk and talk therapy takes the session outside: you and your therapist walk side by side through the neighborhood while you talk, at whatever pace feels right.
At Snow Lake Counseling, we now offer walk and talk sessions. It’s still therapy, with the same clinician and the same goals. The one real difference is privacy. Sidewalks and parks are public places, so we can’t guarantee confidentiality the way a closed office can. Someone might overhear a bit of conversation, or we might pass a neighbor or coworker. Before your first walk, your therapist will talk through how you’d like to handle that, like pausing the conversation when people are close or how to respond if you see someone you know. The upside is that your body gets to move while your mind does the work. For two groups of clients in particular, people working through trauma and neurodivergent adults, that movement can make a real difference.
Walk and talk therapy for trauma: why left-right movement matters
If you've heard of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), you've heard of bilateral stimulation. It means rhythmic input that alternates between the left and right sides of the body: eye movements back and forth, alternating taps on each knee, or sounds that switch between ears. In EMDR, a client briefly holds a painful memory in mind while that left-right rhythm is happening. Over time, the memory tends to lose its emotional charge. It's still there, but it stops hijacking your body every time it comes up.
Walking is bilateral by nature. Left foot, right foot, arms swinging in opposition. Many trauma therapists believe that steady rhythm offers some of the same benefits: a nervous system that stays a little calmer while you approach hard material, and a brain that has an easier time filing a memory as something that happened then instead of something happening now.
We want to be honest about the science here. EMDR itself is a well-established, evidence-based trauma treatment. But researchers are still debating exactly why it works, and a 2018 systematic review in Frontiers in Psychology concluded that research into its mechanisms is still in its early stages. Walking as a form of bilateral stimulation hasn't been studied the way EMDR has. So walk and talk isn't EMDR on foot. It's a setting that brings in rhythm, movement, and fresh air, which many trauma survivors find helpful.
Here's what that can look like in practice:
Less freeze, more flow. Trauma often lives in the body as stuckness. Moving gives stress energy somewhere to go, so you're less likely to shut down mid-sentence.
Built-in grounding. The crunch of leaves, a passing dog, the feel of the sidewalk under your shoes. Your therapist can use these to bring you back to the present if a memory pulls too hard.
More control. You can slow down, stop, turn around, or change the subject by changing direction. For people whose trauma involved feeling trapped, that sense of choice matters.
Less pressure to perform. Walking side by side means no one is watching your face while you say the hardest thing you've ever said out loud.
Walk and talk therapy for ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergent brains
Traditional therapy asks you to sit still for 50 minutes, hold eye contact, and talk about feelings on command. For a lot of neurodivergent adults, that setup works against how their brain actually operates. Walk and talk flips some of those defaults.
If you have ADHD, movement isn't a distraction. For many people it's what makes focus possible. You might be the person who thinks best while pacing, fidgets through every meeting, or has your clearest ideas on a run. Walking gives your body something to do so your mind can stay with the conversation instead of tracking the clock or the hum of the lights.
If you're autistic, sustained eye contact can be draining or even painful, and a lot of energy in a normal session can go to masking: monitoring your expression, your posture, whether you're "doing therapy right." Walking side by side takes eye contact off the table. Many autistic adults find it easier to process and put words to internal experience when they're looking ahead at the path instead of at another person.
A few other things neurodivergent clients often tell us they appreciate:
Natural pauses. Silence while walking feels normal, not awkward. You get time to find the right words.
Built-in regulation. Rhythmic movement can be soothing in a similar way to rocking or stimming.
Less sensory overload. Fresh air and open space can feel easier than a small room, though this varies a lot from person to person. We'll plan around your sensory needs.
A different energy. Research on clients' experiences describes walk and talk as feeling more informal and equal, without losing the professional relationship (Newman & Gabriel, 2023).
What a walk and talk session looks like (and when it might not be the right fit)
Your therapist will talk with you first about pace, route, and what feels comfortable. We'll also agree ahead of time on what happens if we run into someone you know, and how to step aside if you need a moment. Sessions are the same length as an office session, and you can switch back to the office or telehealth anytime.
Walk and talk isn't for everyone, and that's okay. Some people need the privacy and stillness of a closed room to let emotions out, and researchers studying walk and talk have heard the same thing from clients. It may also not be the best choice if:
You're working on a memory that tends to overwhelm you, and you'd rather be somewhere enclosed and predictable
Mobility, chronic pain, or fatigue make walking more draining than helpful
Chicago weather is doing its thing (we'll adjust)
Plenty of clients mix and match: walking on some weeks, the office on others, depending on what they're working on.
Try walk and talk therapy in Chicago
If sitting still in a therapy office has never quite worked for you, or there's something you've been carrying that feels too heavy to say face to face, a walk might be a good place to start. Our clinicians work with trauma, ADHD, autism, and late-diagnosed adults, and we're queer- and trans-affirming. We accept Aetna, Cigna, BCBS, and United, and offer sliding scale options.
Sources
Landin-Romero, R., et al. (2018). How does eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy work? A systematic review on suggested mechanisms of action. Frontiers in Psychology.
Newman, E., & Gabriel, L. (2023). Investigating the client's experience of walk and talk counselling. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 23(1), 125–133.