Organizational perspectives on outdoor talking therapy: Towards a position of 'environmental safe uncertainty'

CONCLUSIONS: Whether therapy is located in a consulting room, outdoors, clients' homes, or digitally, practitioners, clients, and services are encouraged to maintain a position of environmental safe uncertainty.PRACTITIONER POINTS: The therapy process and outcomes are influenced by the physical environment in which talking therapy is situated. Practitioners have often remained fixed in their preferred therapy environment, such as the indoor consulting room, without exploring the potential benefits of alternative environments or involving the client in this decision-making (i.e., 'environmental certainty'). Outdoor environments, as well as other alternatives to the consulting room (e.g., digital, home visits, and public places), can support access to therapy, subsequent engagement, and therefore health care equity. Practitioners and clients are encouraged to adopt a position of 'environmental safe uncertainty', which is defined as having openness, critical curiosity, and collaboration regarding the therapy environment and the possibility of other environments being more conducive to therapy.PMID:34117797 | DOI:10.1111/bjc.12315

Source: The British Journal of Clinical Psychology - June 12, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Sam J Cooley Ceri R Jones Duncan Moss Noelle Robertson Source Type: research