Team Move combines exercise, counseling for improved mental health

Team Move combines exercise, counseling for improved mental health

Holly Lockett fell to the floor, screaming.

[Click image for a larger version] STEWART F. HOUSE/Special Contributor
STEWART F. HOUSE/Special Contributor
Counselor Steven Scott and personal trainer Holly Lockett organize small groups for Team Move's counseling and exercise sessions.

She had just heard on the phone that her brother, her lifelong best friend, had died.

On that night three years ago, Lockett had no idea just how much his loss would paralyze her, or for how long.

She also had no idea the path to healing would look a lot like a treadmill. Today her clients are discovering a similar path as members of Team Move, a program that Lockett's personal recovery inspired her to create. She launched it last fall in Plano with counselor Steven Scott.

Part group therapy and part boot camp, Team Move emphasizes that a moving body is key to emotional wellness.

"There are definitely correlations between fitness and mental health," says Lockett, now a certified professional trainer and licensed chemical dependency counselor. "By exercising, you're getting fit and feeling better."

Scott and Lockett, a former Dallas County probation officer, facilitate two 90-minute sessions a week. Sessions cost $60 each. A group of eight to 10 clients spends the first 45 minutes sharing fears, anxieties, goals, setbacks and successes, and offering each other encouragement and feedback. They also learn new thought patterns and life strategies.

The last half is spent working toward clearly defined fitness goals. Clients discuss nutrition, review their food journals and train with a rotating mix of walking, running, circuit training, yoga and other exercises, all at each client's own pace.