A special focus
Walk and Talk: counselling on the trail
For people who think more clearly outdoors than they ever will in a chair. A wilderness walk in Redwood Meadows, Alberta — walking, pausing, reflecting and counselling.
Some conversations are easier when you are moving. Not sitting across from someone in a quiet room, waiting for the right words to arrive — but walking, with trees on either side and somewhere to look other than the floor.
Why walking works
A lot of the people who reach out here are rural Albertans, tradespeople, ranchers, hunters, riders and hikers — people who have spent their lives outside and find a clinical office genuinely uncomfortable. For them, the setting is not a small detail. It is the difference between opening up and shutting down.
Walking side by side lowers the intensity. There is no desk, no clock on the wall, and no expectation of holding eye contact while you say the hardest thing you have said all year. Movement gives the nervous system something to do, which is exactly why anxiety and grief often loosen their grip on a trail.
It is still counselling. Same Registered Psychotherapist, same 60 minutes, same confidentiality, same evidence-based approach. Only the room has changed.
How a session runs
Walk, pause, reflect, counsel
We walk
The first stretch is for settling in. Moving side by side takes the pressure off eye contact, and for a lot of people the words come more easily once their feet are busy.
We pause
When something lands, we stop. A bench, a bend in the trail, a view worth standing in front of. The hard parts of the conversation happen standing still.
We reflect
Real clinical work — naming patterns, testing thoughts, building skills. The trail is the setting, not a substitute for the counselling.
We counsel
You leave with something concrete for the week ahead, the same way you would from a session in the office.
Practical details
What to know before you book
Where
Quiet trails in and around Redwood Meadows and Bragg Creek — about 30 minutes west of Calgary, and close to home if you are out by Priddis or Millarville.
How long
A 60 minute session, walked at a conversational pace with pauses whenever you need them.
Weather
Weather-dependent. If conditions turn, your session moves online or indoors at no extra cost.
Confidentiality
Identical to an indoor session. Routes are chosen for quiet, and conversation pauses if anyone passes.
What to bring
Footwear you can walk an hour in, a layer more than you think you need, water, and sunscreen in summer. Nothing else. Alberta weather changes its mind quickly, so dress for the day you might get rather than the one you can see.
Who it suits
Walk and Talk tends to fit
- People who find a clinical office stiff, clinical or intimidating.
- Rural Albertans and outdoor workers who do their best thinking outside.
- Anyone carrying anxiety, where movement genuinely settles the body.
- Grief, where sitting still with the loss is unbearable.
- Couples, where side-by-side takes the confrontation out of a hard conversation.
- Anyone who has tried talk therapy indoors and quietly hated it.
Walk and Talk is not the right fit for everyone — some work needs a private room, and mobility, weather and privacy all matter. We sort that out in the free consultation before anyone laces up.
Questions
Common questions
- Where do the walks take place?
- In and around Redwood Meadows, Alberta, roughly 30 minutes west of Calgary on the way to Bragg Creek. You are sent the exact meeting point when you book.
- How fit do I need to be?
- Not very. The pace is conversational and the routes are gentle. If you can walk for an hour on an uneven path, you can do this. Tell Vince beforehand if you would rather stay on flat, well-packed trail.
- What about privacy on a public trail?
- Routes are chosen for quiet. If someone approaches, the conversation simply pauses — walking side by side makes that easy and natural. Confidentiality is exactly the same as it is indoors.
- What happens in bad weather?
- Alberta being Alberta, sessions are weather-dependent. If conditions are unsafe, your session moves online or indoors at no extra cost — you are never charged for a cancelled walk.
- Is Walk and Talk real therapy?
- Yes. It is the same 60 minute session with the same Registered Psychotherapist, the same confidentiality and the same clinical approach. Only the setting changes.
- Can couples do Walk and Talk?
- Yes, and it works surprisingly well — side-by-side walking takes the pressure out of conversations that feel confrontational across a coffee table.
Walk and Talk sessions are running now
Start with a free 15 minute conversation. We will talk about what you are carrying and whether the trail is the right place to carry it.