A new therapeutic climbing course aims to help people improve their mental health alongside their footwork.
Local therapist Stephanie Fitchett has designed the Climbing Free course to explore how we communicate, manage pressure and fear and listen to our bodies.
Eight weekly sessions include 90 minutes of climbing, during which participants will learn the skills needed to climb independently, followed by a 45-minute reflective practice.
Here, the group will explore what happened on the wall, both emotionally and physically, and consider how these experiences relate to life outside the climbing setting.
Stephanie said: “The emotions climbers experience often mirror those explored in the therapy room.
“Rock climbing, like many sports, can reveal how individuals respond to pressure and the impact this has on them but rope climbing can also highlight the balance between depending on others whilst needing to depend on ourselves.
“There is something so powerful about the climbing experience that allows our internal world to be expressed clearly and directly.
“Climbing Therapy (often understood as climbing itself as a form of therapy) is becoming increasingly popular as a way to support mental wellbeing.
“Climbing Free aims to take this a step further by creating a space to reflect on what exactly happens when we climb that is useful to hold onto in everyday life.
“This process can offer a tangible way for participants to explore their sense of self and how they relate to others.”
The first group runs from 14 April to 2 June on Tuesdays from 10am to 12.30pm at High Sports Brighton.
The course costs £200 for the full eight weeks, with a maximum of eight participants per group.
For more information, email stephanie@rosenatherapy.co.uk or visit www.rosenatherapy.co.uk/climbing-free.
