All That Matters Therapy
Your Questions, Answered: Extended Body Doubling Sessions & Virtual Walk and Talk
If you landed here, something about these session formats caught your attention. Maybe it was the body doubling concept. Maybe it was the idea of walking while you talk. Maybe you've been avoiding therapy because you feel too behind to sit still for an hour and someone finally said what you’ve been holding in out loud. Whatever brought you here is valid. Now, let's talk about it.
Body Doubling Sessions
Okay, hold up, is this actually therapy or are we just sitting on the screen together?
It's therapy. Full stop. Body doubling sessions are integrated into your treatment plan, documented in your clinical record, and held to the same professional and ethical standards as every other session we have. The difference is in the structure, not the substance.
What makes it therapeutic isn't just the task getting done, it's what happens around the task physically, emotionally and mentally.
The avoidance patterns that show up before you start, the self-talk that runs while you work, the relief, shame or the unexpected grief when something finally gets checked off or deleted is the clinical material. The task is just the vehicle.
The Science
Body doubling has been studied primarily in the context of ADHD and executive dysfunction. Research suggests that the presence of another regulated nervous system can lower the activation threshold for task initiation, reduce avoidance behaviors, and support sustained attention. The mechanism is thought to involve both social accountability and co-regulation which are two things that are often disrupted in postpartum mood disorders, neurodivergent presentations, and chronic stress states. (Nadeau, 2002; Solanto et al., 2010)
What if I don't actually get anything done?
Then that's the session. I meet you where you’re at with curiosity. If you sit down to tackle the pile of mail and spend 45 minutes frozen, that is clinically rich information. What happened in your body when you tried to start? What story did your brain tell you about the pile? When did you first learn that a mess meant something about you as a person?
We're going to find out a lot more from the freeze than we would have from a productive hour. The goal isn't output. The goal is insight. Output is a bonus.
What do I bring? What counts as a task?
Anything that's been living on the to-do list living rent-free in your brain that’s long enough to feel like a weight sitting right on your chest like the sleep paralysis demon.
Here are some examples from real sessions:
• Sorting and responding to unopened emails and texts
• Folding laundry that's been in the dryer for three days or that needs to be rewashed in the washer because the mildew be creepin’ out
• Dishes in the sink that have grown a mold civilization that may soon be strong enough to take over humanity or clean dishes in the dishwasher needing to be dried and put away
• Decluttering because it’s entered into borderline hoarding
• Making a phone call you've been avoiding (Hello medical appointments!)
• Filling out paperwork such as insurance forms, school enrollment, anything bureaucratic
• Organizing a space that's become a source of stress
• Writing something you've been putting off
If looking at it makes you tired or locked up inside, it counts.
Will you judge my mess?
Never. I mean that in the clinical sense, not the polite sense. If you're doing a virtual session from home, I might see your kitchen table or your pile of unread mail or the laundry situation in the background. None of that tells me anything about you except that you're a human being managing a real life. I have a toddler. I have dogs. I know what real life looks like. The mess is not the problem, it’s the relationship you have with the mess is what we're here for.
How does the session actually work? Walk me through it.
We meet on video, same as any other session. You tell me what you're working on and we set a loose intention for the time. Then you work. I'm present. We can be talking or simply co-existing. I may check in briefly to ask a guiding question, offer a grounding prompt, or simply hold space while you do the thing. We're not doing two separate activities in silence. We're in a therapeutic container together, and the task is part of that container.
Why is the session 90 minutes?
With about 30 minutes left, we stop and debrief/process. What happened? What felt hard? What worked? What did you notice? What did your nervous system do?
That's where the session earns its clinical weight. The debrief/processing is where the body doubling becomes therapy.
Is this covered by insurance or can I use my out-of-network benefits?
No, and I want to be straightforward about that so there are no surprises. All That Matters Therapy is a private-pay practice. Extended body doubling sessions are a specialized format that doesn't correspond to a standard billing code, so there's no super bill available for this session type. It's not reimbursable through out-of-network benefits.
Some clients are able to use FSA or HSA funds for therapy sessions so it's worth checking with your plan administrator, but I can't guarantee eligibility.
Virtual Walk and Talk Sessions
How does this work virtually? Are we actually both just walking around?
Yes, it's exactly as straightforward as it sounds. You walk in your neighborhood, a local park, or anywhere outdoors that feels safe and familiar to you. I walk in a private, secluded outdoor area on my end. We're connected by phone or video the whole time, each of us in our own space.
It's not in-person walk and talk, where we'd be side by side. It's two people in motion, connected across distance. A lot of clients find that the parallel experience, meaning both of us outside and both moving creates something that a seated video session doesn't. Something loosens when you're not staring at a screen in a chair.
The Science
Research on walk and talk therapy points to several mechanisms: bilateral movement (left-right stepping) activates both brain hemispheres in ways similar to EMDR, supporting emotional processing.
Exposure to natural environments reduces cortisol and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. The change of physical context can help break rigid cognitive patterns, lower defenses, and access material that feels stuck in a more traditional setting. (Revell & McLeod, 2016; Bratman et al., 2015)
Why do some people find walk and talk easier than a regular video session?
A few reasons, and they're all worth naming.
Sustained eye contact through a screen is harder than it looks. For a lot of people, especially those who are neurodivergent, trauma-affected, or just deeply exhausted. Holding eye contact with a face on a screen for 50 minutes is activating in a way that gets in the way of actually talking and sometimes that can lead to dissociating during session.
When you're walking, you're looking at the path ahead of you. The pressure of being looked at or of looking just evaporates. Things come out that wouldn't have come out in a chair.
There's also something about the side-by-side quality of it even virtually. You're not performing being okay for a camera or thinking about how you’re coming off to another person. You're just walking and talking, the way humans have processed hard things for as long as we've existed.
What if I run into someone I know?
It happens, and we plan for it. If you see someone you know coming toward you, just say the word and we pause. You handle the interaction, and we pick back up when you're clear. No explanation needed, no awkwardness on your end, just a natural-looking pause in your walk.
Choosing a route where that's unlikely can help, such as a neighborhood you walk regularly but not a main strip where you'd run into coworkers or clients. The goal is enough privacy to actually say the things you came to say.
What if the weather is bad?
We reschedule or switch to a standard video session, it’s completely your choice. The weather can be moody, and I'm not going to ask you to walk through a thunderstorm or on any icy path in the name of therapy. If you need to cancel due to weather, the same 48-hour cancellation policy applies. If it's same-day weather that neither of us could have anticipated, let's talk and figure out what makes sense.
Do I have to be in shape to do this? What if walking is physically hard for me?
You set the pace. This isn't a workout, it's a walk. Slow, steady, stopping when you need to (please hydrate and dress accordingly), sitting on a bench if that's what your body needs are all part of the experience. The movement doesn't have to be vigorous to be effective. Even gentle bilateral movement and fresh air does wonders.
That said, if walking is genuinely difficult, painful, you’re on exercise restriction or bed rest, this format may not be the right fit right now. We'd want to find a session structure that meets your body where it is. Let's talk about it during your consultation.
What are the requirements for walk and talk sessions?
A few non-negotiables, all of them in the name of safety and showing up present:
• Earbuds or a headset are required. No holding your phone while walking.
• One earbud in, one earbud out so you can hear your surroundings and be aware.
• No driving. Ever. Sessions cannot take place while you are in a vehicle, in traffic, or operating anything that requires your attention. This is a no-no.
• Walk in a safe, familiar location and not somewhere that requires your full visual attention.
• Let me know your planned location at the start of each session.
• Feel free to bring along your furry walking companions (as long as they will be a helpful addition and not a distracting one)
These aren't bureaucratic rules. They're what makes it possible for you to actually be in the session safely instead of managing logistics while we talk.
Is this covered by insurance or can I use my out-of-network benefits?
All That Matters Therapy is a private-pay practice. Walk and talk sessions are billed at the standard individual session rate of $225. While I can provide a receipt for your records, out-of- network reimbursement would follow whatever your plan allows for outpatient therapy generally. FSA/HSA eligibility is worth checking with your plan administrator.
Is walk and talk right for me if I'm postpartum or going through something heavy?
It depends on where you are and what you need. Walk and talk can be incredibly supportive for postpartum mood considering the movement, the fresh air, the change of environment when home feels suffocating. A lot of postpartum clients find it easier to access their emotions when they're not staring at a screen in the same room where everything feels hard. Plus, you can bring your baby in the stroller!
That said, if you're in an acute crisis or need close clinical monitoring, a seated session where I can see you clearly is the right call. Walk and talk works best when you have enough stability to be in your body and in motion. If you're not sure which category you're in, that's exactly what a consultation is for.
Still have questions?
Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. We'll figure out together whether one of these formats is the right fit for where you are right now.