Therapy for Climate Anxiety and Climate Grief
“Feeling pain for the world is as natural to us as the food and air we draw upon to fashion who we are. That pain is the price of consciousness in a threatened and suffering world. It is not only natural, it is an absolutely necessary component of our collective healing. The problem, therefore, lies not with our pain for the world, but in our repression of it.”
A list of climate mental health books recommended by the Climate Mental Health Network .
We are living in a time of immense climate disruption, that is already having significant impacts on many people’s mental health and well-being, whether you are already directly impacted by extreme weather, or aware of the suffering of other people and the more-than-human world and anticipating what’s to come. Climate anxiety and dread brings up many existential questions about how to live, parent, or navigate relationships.
Folks on the front lines of the climate crisis, in the path of worsening storms, first responders, or climate scientists, activists, and academics, and historically under-resourced communities are increasingly experiencing trauma symptoms and seeking help metabolizing these experiences. Climate support groups and climate-aware therapists are emerging to offer resources and strategies for navigating these challenging emotions and the life choices that arise from them.
I help clients build emotional resiliency in the face of climate anxiety and grief, as a primary focus or among other concerns. I hold a Certificate in Climate Psychology through The California Institute of Integral Studies. Participation in this program deepened my understanding of the growing and unequal mental health impact of the climate crisis, and the psychological roots of the systemic structures that have led us to this time.
I also lead monthly in-person Climate Cafes in Western Massachusetts, as well as support online training of new cafe facilitators through the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. The cafes are informal small group opportunities aiming to provide a confidential space to share emotional responses and reactions related to the climate emergency. See a recent article printed in both The Greenfield Recorder or the Daily Hampshire Gazette for more info about my climate cafe offerings.
I am an active member of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, and serve on their Climate Emotion Support Group Hub committee.
What is a climate-aware therapist?
The Climate Psychology Alliance of North America defines a climate-aware therapist as a professionally-trained psychotherapist who recognizes that the climate crisis is both a global threat to all life on Earth and a deeply personal threat to the mental and physical well-being—the sense of safety, meaning, and purpose—of each individual, family, and community on the planet.
