Walk & Talk
therapy outdoors
in the Northern Beaches
Selfconnect offers the option of taking the therapy session outdoors, in nature. A Walk & Talk therapy session is like a standard counselling session, except that it takes place outdoors instead of in the counselling room. The same evidence-based therapeutic approaches are used. The same ethical guidelines and confidentiality apply.
During a Walk & Talk therapy session you walk with the therapist side by side talking about your issues. Only easy walks are chosen. You set the pace and may decide to sit for part of the session. The aim is not to get a workout but to help you relax and open up. Walk & Talk therapy sessions may suit clients who find it hard to sit still or talk to someone sitting opposite them. They can also be helpful for clients to get over fears, such as agoraphobia.
Before starting sessions outdoors, we will book an initial assessment session via videoconference to discuss what you hope to get out of therapy and whether outdoor sessions are the best option for you. We will also decide on a location for the walk and a meeting point. If it rains, we can move the session online or reschedule it. You are also free to switch from outdoors to indoors or online sessions if you decide that outdoor sessions are not for you.
Walk & Talk therapy sessions are offered in quiet public locations in the Northern Beaches. We can discuss what you would like to do if you come across someone you know. You may want to wave and continue walking. We can also agree on a location where you are less likely to meet someone you know.
You can get Medicare rebates if referred by your GP or psychiatrist.
Effective Communication
Communicate with clarity and compassion
Many of us struggle to communicate effectively. We may hide how we feel to keep the peace but then see our resentment grow until we blow up. Or we may speak in frustration pushing others away when what we really want is connection.
Speaking your truth doesn’t have to push people away. It is possible to be honest without creating defensiveness or distance. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) helps you express what is true for you in a way others can actually hear, while also helping you listen with empathy and care.
What is Nonviolent Communication?
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a model developed by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg in the 1960s.
NVC invites us to slow down and speak from a place of awareness, rather than reacting out of habit. It helps us tune in to what we are observing, feeling, and needing, and to listen for the same in others.
“In any exchange, we come to hear our own deeper needs and those of others.” – Marshall Rosenberg
By shifting the way we express ourselves and the way we listen, we open the door to more meaningful, respectful, and compassionate conversations.
Rather than reacting automatically, our words become conscious responses, grounded in empathy and guided by what is truly alive in us.
The Four Components of NVC
To support mutual understanding and connection, NVC focuses our attention on four key areas:
Observation – Describe what you see or hear without judgment or blame.
“When I hear you say…” instead of “You’re being rude.”Feelings – Name your emotional experience honestly and clearly.
“I feel hurt…” rather than “You hurt me.”Needs – Acknowledge the deeper need behind the feeling.
“…because I need support / respect / understanding.”Request – Ask for a concrete, doable action that could help meet the need.
“Would you be willing to…?”
This approach is not about being “nice” or avoiding conflict, it is about being real and connected at the same time.
It helps us take responsibility for our own experience, while staying curious about what others are going through.
Why Practice NVC?
When we communicate with this level of awareness and care, we:
Feel more grounded and confident in difficult conversations
Reduce conflict and misunderstanding
Deepen intimacy and trust in our relationships
Build bridges even in moments of disagreement
Nonviolent Communication offers a way to meet the world, and ourselves, with more empathy, honesty, and presence.