ClimbWell
Wellbeing Through Climbing
At ClimbWell, we provide an innovative alternative to conventional face-to-face therapy. Whether it’s indoors on a climbing wall, or outdoors at a crag, climbing therapy is an expanding field, with a substantial clinical and academic evidence base.
This innovative method combines the advantages of talking therapy with climbing. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or self-criticism, climbing therapy sessions can provide a transformative experience.
7 week course or 1:1 support
ClimbWell therapeutic climbing
We deliver bouldering therapy through or our facilitated ClimbWell group, or as 1:1 sessions. Both can help you acquire the skills to navigate personal challenges or help you with your difficulties and provide an opportunity for reflection and growth.
Climbing provides a safe space for real-context interventions, helping individuals manage social comparison, self-criticism, fear, and reframing internal difficulties.
The approach combines skills from various psychological modalities such as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Person Centred Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
All of our psychotherapists are registered with professional bodies such as Social Work England or the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and all climbing instructors are qualified with Mountain Training England.
Workshops
Asylum Mental Health Support Group
The Asylum Mental Health Support Group is dedicated to using the power of climbing to support the mental health individuals in Carlisle who are seeking international protection due to war, persecution, and human rights violations. This includes those who are seeking refugee status, complementary protection status, or are planning to seek asylum.
Our Pilot Project due to start mid-February 2025, aims to create a nurturing and inclusive community where individuals can engage in the therapeutic benefits of climbing delivered by the experienced psychotherapists at ClimbWell.
Our goal is to support people seeking asylum, by aiding their mental and physical well-being, while they navigate the challenging process of seeking asylum.
Workshops
ClimbWell for coaches
ClimbWell for Coaches is a comprehensive one-day workshop specifically tailored to assist climbing coaches in gaining a better understanding of the unique mental challenges and stress that climbers encounter. As the demand for coaches to provide mental support for their clients continues to increase, this course equips participants with evidence-based psychotherapeutic techniques that can effectively aid climbers in managing the mental aspect of their performance.
Have you observed some of your clients struggling with self-criticism, fear, or negative self-perceptions? If so, this workshop is designed to impart some fundamental skills from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. These techniques are geared towards empowering coaches to support their clients in building confidence and achieving their full potential on the climbing wall.
Meet the team
Jess
Lead Therapist
Climbing and outdoor activities have been a lifelong interest for Jess, with a focus on bouldering over the past eight years. She is a qualified Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) and has been a coach for six of those years, working with individuals of various ages and skill levels.
Jess is a registered person-centred counsellor from Cumbria, in addition to her climbing expertise. She is particularly interested in the role that self-compassion plays in our overall wellbeing, both in a therapeutic context and in its influence on climbing performance. Jess is passionate about integrating these two aspects of her professional skill set.
"It never fails to surprise me how often people connect the movement and challenge of bouldering to their mental wellbeing. It's the mind and the body working together and it's a pleasure to create the space for people to explore that for themselves"
Andy Cross
Operations Manager and DSL
Andy is a Registered Social Worker and a Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) who began his career in outdoor education in 1999, delivering youth programs using outdoor activities as a psychosocial tool for development. After qualifying as a social worker, he worked in various community NHS mental health settings, including Substance Misuse, Adult Community Treatment Teams and a Community Eating Disorder Service.
Currently, he is part of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team at the University of Cumbria and is completing a PGDip in Psychotherapy and Person-Centred Counselling. Additionally, he leads a therapeutic climbing group, "Climbing for Wellbeing," helping students manage their mental health.
“I love climbing because it reveals my true self, highlighting my strengths and areas for improvement. It highlights what truly counts: my self-perception and the profound effect it has on my life and the world around me. This realisation inspired us to create ClimbWell, and I’m continually amazed by the valuable lessons climbing provides us.”