Case Example

“One young person… talked about how she had counselling before, but had the realisation during the walk that there were usually bits of herself that she ‘left outside the door’ at counselling sessions and didn’t talk about… She attributed [this] to… being in a less formal or boundaried environment than a consulting room. She saw this as a big positive to take to future counselling… to be able to bring more of her whole life ‘into the room’ when she was having counselling or getting support from someone.”

– Right Here Brighton and Hove evaluation

Walk and Talk, Right Here Brighton and Hove

Walk and Talk is aimed at people experiencing social anxiety and is composed of counselling and a group walk. The project takes place in stages once a cohort of young people has been recruited:

Step one

An individual counselling session to talk about the walk and about anxiety.

Step two

A group walk with the other young people, counsellors and the activities coordinator.

Step three

An individual counselling session to reflect on the walk.

Step four

A group debriefing with the counsellors, with the activities coordinator, again, present.

Success factors of Walk and Talk include:

• The combination of individual and group work – this allows the young person to share their anxieties privately before attempting to overcome them in a group setting.
• A flexible structure in terms of the length of walks, breaks and timings.
• A non-medical environment which supports natural discussion and peer support.

See Right Here for more information.