Authors: Ingvild-Jorna Bø Abusdal
“The Monday hiking group” was initiated in 1998 and still exists today, twenty-five years later. The group is run by health professionals started as a cooperation between the regional hospital in Southern Norway and Kristiansand municipality, for participants with long-term mental health challenges. Over these years, the group has started each week walking in rain, sun, snow or wind all year round. For some participants, an ordi-nary hike feels like climbing in thin air towards a mountain top. For others walking is easy, but the social aspect of a group may be challenging.
In this article, we focus on the awareness of walking alongside someone, by reflecting on facilitating, the significance of the emotional support offered among the members and the emotional connectedness in long term professional relationships. Exemplified from the group’s history, Torstein’s story and when the author were to present during the International Adventure Therapy Conference in 2022.
