Climbing out of the therapy room

Cross, Andy and Tilbe, Tessa (2025) Climbing out of the therapy room. University and College Counselling, 2025 (March).

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License CC BY-NC Download (244kB) | Preview

Abstract

Andy Cross and Tessa Tilbe write about the development of ‘climbing for wellbeing’, otherwise known as ‘bouldering therapy’, at the University of Cumbria.

What am I doing? I’m way out of my depth. No, this is fine, it’s well within your ability, you’re just scared. Take a breath, it’s just a couple of moves and then you’ll be fine.' Failing to reassure myself, I look behind me and judge whether I can climb back to my partner and set up an abseil to retreat off the 30 metres we had just climbed. I feel a familiar tightness in my chest and my legs start to tremor. At this moment, I pause and take a deep breath. Calming myself down, I purposefully lower my shoulders and stand up straight. I notice my heartbeat slowing down, feel the cold rock under my fingertips, and open my eyes. I reach for the next hold and begin climbing again. It’s climbs like this that have both humbled me and helped me grow in equal measure. Climbing provides a visceral response and can present you with abject fear and absolute joy, sometimes all within the same route. Although I’m no longer the obsessive climber I was in the late-1990s, climbing still never ceases to surprise me and I continue to learn so much about myself through the activity.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	University and College Counselling
Publisher:	British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
ISSN:	2398-3574
Departments:	Professional Services > Student & Staff Services
Additional Information:	Full text made openly accessible with kind permission from the publisher. This article first appeared in the March 2025 issue of University & College Counselling published by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/university-and-college-counselling/ ©BACP 2025. Andy Cross is completing a PGDip in psychotherapy and person-centred counselling and is also a registered social worker and mental health case worker at the University of Cumbria. Tessa Tilbe is the Mental Health & Wellbeing Manager at the University of Cumbria and a BACP accredited person-centred counsellor.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2025 10:59
Last Modified:	14 Mar 2025 12:30
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8703

Downloads