There are some people who become blocked or overwhelmed by the intimacy of therapy in an office setting,” says Jennifer Lager, PsyD, who walks with clients on trails along the Potomac River as part of her practice in McLean, Va. Trauma survivors, for instance, often carry a lot of shame and may have created rigid walls to protect themselves. Directly facing the therapist with no outlets for their physical arousal may prove too intense for them at times. Meanwhile, adolescents and people with attention-deficit disorders may have trouble sitting still.
“There’s something about getting them out and moving that helps them relax,” she says.