DrCopelandTherapy.com

Angela Copeland, Psy.D.


Additional Services

Walk and Talk

 (a supplemental service to our talk therapy work)

In addition to traditional in-office therapy, I also provide Walk and Talk services.  This practice would be for patients who are interested in expanding their in-office treatment to also do talk therapy while walking.  There are many reasons why I am a strong believer in providing this service, some therapeutic and some structural.

Structurally: We live in San Diego where most days of the year are beautiful; let’s take advantage of this incredible area and breathe some fresh air!  Sitting all day long is hard on the body and any opportunity to move is generally beneficial.  Providing yourself with the gift of nurturing your mind and body at the same time is both healthy and efficient.

Therapeutically: Exercise produces endorphins and that is nature’s antidepressant.  Walking can be a jumpstart to a healthier lifestyle.  Exercise is a great beginning to increased body awareness and motivation toward self care which potentially could lead to feeling better about ourselves.

Sometimes we have a much easier time talking about how we are feeling when we are facing forward and not sitting directly across from each other.  Past experiences I have had validate this point.  Early in my career, when I was a social worker working with foster children, we would occasionally need to transport the kiddos from one foster placement to another.  Witnessing how much more open these children were to sharing their feelings, thoughts and personal experiences in a car when I was driving and needing to look forward was eye-opening and inspiring.

Personally, there have been periods in my life where going for a walk and talking about my feelings or sorting out a dilemma with someone I trusted and felt safe with was an enormous benefit.  Walking while sharing my feelings, thoughts and experiences allowed me to process in this free form style.  This tool provided me with more insight and awareness of what I was going through.  Walk and Talk is a valuable, supplemental tool which can provide further perspective and growth to the therapeutic relationship and our work together.

If this is something that interests you, please let me know and we can explore Walk and Talk as an additional option.