Being in the Trees: Park Therapy

July 2025

This summer, I held my first Park Therapy session in Vancouver. It’s a form of psychotherapy with the added benefit of being in nature. It’s also known as Walk and Talk Therapy, or Eco-based Therapy. Park Therapy blossomed during Covid, and was an excellent alternative to virtual meetings. It held the promise of connection, intimacy and safety during a chaotic and scary time.

I offered regular park sessions in Toronto, showing up with my “briefcase,” which included a blanket, camping chairs, water, glasses, and tissues. Sometimes we sat, other times we walked. Even when it became safe to meet inside again, many people preferred my outdoor office. One client stated they felt lighter after releasing overwhelming feelings into the trees. The sky allowed more openness, and the grass underneath felt grounding.

Park Prescriptions (PaRx) is a national nature prescription program where doctors provide written prescriptions to increase the time people spend in nature. According to their website, twenty minutes in nature for a total of two hours a week can improve your mental health. Being in nature reduces cortisol levels and heart rate variability. Walking in a park instead of a busy street reduces intrusive thoughts.[1]

When therapy occurs inside the office, there is control and confidentiality. Meeting outside means relinquishing some of that. There is risk of unpredictable things happening. I seek out secluded areas, map out routes, and locate washrooms. I acknowledge that either of us could run into someone we know, a dog might lie on our blanket, or we could get caught in a downpour.

My client and I meet at Vancouver’s John Hendry Park, locally known as Trout Lake. The lake itself is a peat bog that sits in the centre of the park. It teems with ducks, geese, and herons. When my dog Leo and I visit the lake early in the morning, a thin mist hovers above the water. The park is filled with red-osier dogwoods, western cedars, and huge willows. Trout Lake acts as a third space –it’s home to baseball games, markets, picnics, pow wows, bike raves, and Gaelic football. The energy is a mix of calming and energizing.

We decide to walk three laps around the lake (I had timed the laps a week earlier). We step into a rhythm that is slow, calm, and expansive. The session feels warm, attuned, and connecting. On our last lap, we are greeted by a giant Canada goose. The goose run-waddles toward us, blocking our path. She locks eyes with us and lets out a long, intimidating hiss. My client and I both instinctively apologize to her and back away from the path.

As we finish our walk, we settle on a bench to close the session. We shrug our shoulders back, and let our bellies be loose with breath. We reflect on the hard things they hoped to leave behind in the cedars: patterns that stick, grief that swells and breaks, and young parts that get activated. We appreciate the non-linear nature of healing. As we grow and shift, we accept who we have been, and who we are becoming. We have both been that goose, scared and protective. Hissing at people to stop. On this day we felt open and safe enough to take chances and to deal with whatever crossed our path.

[1] https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en-ca/en/about