Walk & Talk Therapy: Inviting Relaxation, Insights, & Positive Changes

— Have you thought about meeting your therapist outdoors and walk together while the therapeutic processes unfold?

If not, it's time for an added natural healing component! Nature! This is not a new practice method. In fact, it is a very ancient concept. Aristotle and Socrates famously walked during lectures. Sigmund Freud often walked with patients during the analysis process. Although it is unknown why this form of teaching and therapy fell out of fashion, it is finally seeing a resurgence in popularity and utility. Not only do we have increasing evidence of the effectiveness of walking with your therapist, there are many practical reasons that this form of therapy may be right for you. Exercising, especially walking, provides well-established cardiovascular benefits and the incorporation of movement with the therapeutic conversation increases the integrative capacity of each therapy session. In other words, moving while talking makes short work of problem solving, gaining insight, and making positive changes in your life!

Valeria interviews Layla Niemann — She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with Waypoint Wellness Center located in Huntsville, Alabama.

She earned her MSW at Alabama A & M University. Since starting out in the Social Services field in 2001, she has worked in the areas of Child Welfare, Child Forensic Interviewing, Hospice, Bereavement, Adoptions, and Geriatrics. Ms. Niemann enjoys weaving her myriad experiences into her clinical practice serving adults and children with special interest in PTSD, OCD, ADHD, Autism, and Sleep Disorders. Her approach is rooted in the belief that positive therapeutic relationships have the power to change individuals and the world around them. Ms. Niemann works diligently for racial and gender equality in her professional and personal life. She is a strong ally for LGBTQ+ individuals. She provides an affirmative approach and utilizes empowerment strategies throughout treatment. She is also a neurodiversity-affirmative therapist. Ms. Niemann is nationally certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She is trained in multiple therapy modalities including CBT, mindfulness, and Cognitive Processing Therapy, among others.

Ms. Niemann believes the power of movement and the outdoors to be profoundly healing. The bilateral movement of walking is particularly useful combined with therapeutic conversation. This approach is a wonderful way to fastrack problem-solving, getting unstuck, or working through a complex personal problem. She began to notice the benefit of walking with her clients when working in assisted living facilities and skilled nursing homes. She has now expanded this practice to walking with clients in her private practice.

Ms. Niemann enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her family, fostering with Huntsville Animal Services, playing music, backpacking, and running.

To learn more about Layla Niemann and her work, please visit: waypointwellness.net

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.