A Therapeutic Beginners’ Rock Climbing Group

Rock climbing provides this unique situation of being both alone but together with others: of depending on yourself and on others to obtain success. It can expose the way we respond to pressure, how we manage fear, how we communicate and the way we problem solve. In this new course, we will use the climbing sessions to inform the way we relate outside of the climbing wall and what skills may be helpful to improve our mental health.

 It is designed to teach you everything you need to know to climb independently after the group whilst thinking about our mental health in a deep and curious way. Each week consists of 1.5 hours of climbing and a 45 minute reflective group. Here we will think about what came up for you on the wall, how these thoughts and feelings relate outside of the wall and if or how they change over time.

Below you’ll find the course overview and the focus for each week.

Each session will last 2.5 hours with 1.5 hours of climbing and a 45 minute reflective group.

Week One - Welcome

This will be an introduction to the group, setting group expectations and having a safety briefing. We will cover bouldering and auto belaying.

Week Two - Trust (Part One)

In week two we will look at how to depend on each other and ourselves and the importance of working together. We will learn how to tie in and belay. 

Week Three - Trust (Part Two)

In this week, we continue from week two and consolidate our tying in and belaying whilst also focusing on communication and expressing your needs.

Week Four - Fear and Blocks

Here we look at taking on fear - we begin learning how to take and catch falls on the wall and how to move with fear.

Week Five - Breathing

In week five, you will take a safety test ahead of the session so you can climb without being tailed by an instructor, beginning to get a sense of independent climbing. We will focus on our breath for stabilisation, focus and relaxation.

Week Six - Listening to the Body

Connecting and listening to your body is important both off and on the wall and we spend this session thinking about movement and trusting what our body is telling us. We will look at climbing techniques to practise on the wall.

Week Seven - Grounding

In week seven, we focus on grounding techniques and why they may be useful when climbing. We will find some harder/scarier climbs and utilise these skills on the wall.

Week Eight - Preparation

In our last session we look at problem solving on the wall, knowing when to ask for help and consolidating all the skills from the previous 7 weeks. We will be climbing whatever feels good, but with intention and preparation.