Caleb Lantz Pusey, LCMHC, C-SIP, NCC, MDiv, MA
828-332-5198
Gravel Therapy
movement for exploration and introspection
About Me
Hi! I'm Caleb. I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina. I earned a Master of Arts and a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University in 2013. I have thirteen years of counseling experience, both in community settings and in private practice. Please visit me at Psychology Today if you would like to know more about my clinical expertise, specialities, and focus.
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I have one year of coaching experience in cycling after riding for close to twenty-five years. I have also trained and competed in regional mountain bike and ultra endurance events. While my coaching is not specifically focused on designing training plans for racers, I love to support cyclists and adventure athletes who glean therapeutic benefits from competitive events. ​​​
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I am my best self when I am boating whitewater, rock climbing, hiking with my family, playing with my dog and co-therapist Mae, crafting a poem or essay, and biking in the mountains of Western NC.
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Alongside my work as a therapist and cycling coach, I have devoted over twenty years of service as an outdoor educator and continue instructing with the North Carolina Outward Bound School. I am a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School and a Wilderness First Responder. More about my certifications and how to contact me.
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Discover Gravel Therapy
Gravel therapy is a sixty or ninety-minute counseling session with you, the client, and me, the therapist, riding knobby tires on individual bicycles suitable for gravel roads, single track trails, or both depending on the route that we choose for your session. The pace might fluctuate depending on the terrain and the weather but it is ultimately guided by the cadence that emerges from the conversation. As a certified USA Cycling Coach and a seasoned guide, you can expect professional instruction in the basic mechanics of riding and skilled management of the risks. As a licensed clinical mental health counselor in the state of North Carolina, you can trust that the ride itself, and our conversation together, will be utilized as a vehicle for connection, healing, and growth.
Alongside the contours of the gravel therapy session itself, is an underlying intention for therapy and an overlaying plan of care. For this reason, you and the therapist will collaboratively determine a frequency of sessions which support your goals for therapy. More than likely, the rhythm of your work will include shorter sessions in the office paired with gravel sessions outside. If you have not worked with me before, then I request that your first session occur in the office so that I can orient you to psychotherapy and we can attend to the task of discerning how our working together will support your intentions. I also like to use the first session for an assessment of your history because this will inform how we use our time in future gravel sessions.
Spiritual Integration
I count many of the deep conversations shared with others moving in outdoor spaces as some of the most transformational in my life. While there is a growing body of research suggesting a positive relationship between wellness and time spent in nature, there is an ancient understanding that the restoration of attention that joins us in wild spaces leaves us with a sense of being re-created into a larger, albeit sacred, whole. Attending to this wisdom, is one of the primary reasons that I am a spiritual and religious person. I am also a licensed professional counselor trained and certified in spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP). Understandably, you might be wondering what, exactly, SIP is and how it informs my work as a therapist with you. Broadly stated, whenever my clients want their spirituality, religious identity, or areligious strivings to be integrated into therapy, then I move toward this facet of their lives without imposing beliefs, practices, or disciplines from my own spiritual and religious location.
It is not uncommon for clients to be curious about my own location. This is a fair curiosity, and even though my primary interest is you, I know that my background informs my way of being with you as a therapist. With that said, I find dynamic residence in the streams of contemplative ecology and inter-spiritual wisdom. The headwaters of my religious life have been the Christian contemplative tradition. I could write pages on what this means to me and have done so over the course of both graduate and divinity studies paired with thirteen years of professional formation in the guild of pastoral psychotherapy and in the growing community of spirituality-integrated psychotherapists. Let’s help you write some new pages the next time your cycling cadence calms the cacophony of mind and the flow of breath and balance on your bike opens outward into that ethereal quality of presence that visits each of us in moments of contemplative movement.
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How much does it cost?90-minute gravel session is $200, 60-minute gravel session is $155
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Do you offer a sliding scale?Yes. While I have limited sliding scale spots on my caseload, I am excited about making this program accessible to others regardless of financial circumstances.
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Will my health insurance cover Gravel Therapy sessions?If you have questions about your insurance and gravel therapy then let’s plan on discussing all of them before we meet. In most cases, insurance will cover outpatient appointments that meet at my office for 45 to 60 minutes. Since gravel therapy occurs outside of my office, we will discuss a plan for helping you make use of your insurance coverage that will likely involve a cost sharing matrix of co-pays or co-insurance and a gravel therapy product add-on.
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Do I have to have a gravel bike to do Gravel Therapy?No. As long as your bike has knobby tires that can maintain rolling stability and turn on uneven surfaces than you will have everything that you need. Examples of appropriate alternatives include a road bike with knobby tires, a hybrid bike with knobby tires, or a mountain bike.
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You mentioned that some gravel therapy sessions could include single-track trails or even paved roads, do I have to ride on these surfaces?No. You and I will review the intended route before each ride so that the session meets your goals, whether on gravel roads, trail, paved roads, or all three surfaces, for the day. Generally, you can expect that the majority of mileage during your session will occur on gravel roads unless we plan a mountain bike specific session on single track trails or a hybrid road/gravel session.
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Can I request a mountain bike session on single track?Yes. You and I will review the intended route before each ride so that the session meets your goals, whether on gravel roads, trail, or both surfaces, for the day. If a mountain session on single track is planned than a mountain bike, either hard tail or full suspension, is required. Even if the majority of the route is on single track, you can expect that a portion of the ride will occur on gravel roads to support parallel riding and more attuned conversations.
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Can I request a road bike session facilitated solely on paved surfaces?No. Generally, the risks associated with a road ride are such that they make parallel riding and attuned therapeutic conversations very difficult.
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What should I wear?You can wear whatever helps you stay warm when it is cold and wet or cool whenever it is hot and dry outside. I highly encourage you to bring water, snacks, and an extra layer regardless of the season.
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What do we do if there is an emergency during the gravel session?I carry a first-aid kit, a phone, and a copy of your emergency contact information for the duration of the ride. I am a Wilderness First Responder which is the standard industry certification for recognizing and treating life-threats in remote settings. If you have been advised by a physician to bring medications for asthma, allergic reactions, or cardiac emergencies then we will review this history before your first gravel session and discuss plans to have these resources within arm’s reach for each and every ride.
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How many gravel therapy sessions do you recommend?After your first assessment in the office, you and the therapist will collaboratively determine a frequency of sessions which support your goals for therapy. More than likely, the rhythm of your work will include shorter sessions in the office paired with gravel sessions outside. The length of therapy ultimately depends on your intentions and goals. Some clients have been working with me for years and others see me for less than six months.
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Should I be worried about the pace and the distance of a gravel therapy session?The pace and distance might fluctuate depending on the terrain and the weather but it is ultimately guided by the cadence that emerges from the conversation and your overarching goals for therapy. Unless you have been advised by a physician to avoid cardiovascular exercise, you have everything that you need for a productive session.
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Can you facilitate adaptive gravel therapy sessions?I am working to explore partnerships with organizations that support individuals with physical disabilities in order to facilitate adaptive gravel therapy sessions in the future.
Certifications
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina (#10271), a Certified Spirituality Integrated Psychotherapist (CSIP) with ACPE, a National Certified Counselor (NCC #321727) with the National Board for Certified Counselors, and a Board Certified Telemental Health Provider (BC-TMH #2625).
I am also a Category 3 Coach with USA Cycling (#667659), a BICP Ride Leader, and a Leave No Trace Master Educator.