|  | | | Dear Climate-Aware ColleaguesJoin us on our collective journey as we explore what it means to practice psychotherapy in a climate changed world, and how we can best use our professional wisdom to help create a just, sustainable, and resilient culture. |
|  | Credit: “Hillside,” a digital collage by Mor Keshet, of the Expressive Arts Committee, in response to Mimi Stokes's “From Tragic Awe to Superabundance” practice. |
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In this issue: Letter from Co-Temporary/Part-Time Executive Director Linking Conversations Climate Cafés Workshop: Liberation Psychology: A Dialogue in the Present Moment Summit on Mental Health and Climate Change Update on Tuesday Giving campaign CIIS Climate Psychology Certificate Committee Updates Publications, Videos, Podcasts Climate Aware Therapy Directory Survey Clim/Arts Art Contest 4 the Climate Educator’s Guide to Climate Emotions Access the listserv
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Letter from Co-Temporary/Part-Time Executive Director |
| Dear membership,
What is CPA-NA here for? We are here to hold and help process the emotions arising from an uncertain future and to help with resilience building before and after severe weather disasters. These offerings are needed especially in challenging times like we are facing now. We do this through public education, training mental health professionals to be climate aware, holding space in climate cafés, supporting front-line workers and activists through emergent programs and research, and building an even wider and deeper community of support within CPA-NA and with our allied organizations.
With this in mind, CPA-NA is poised to increase our programming for clinical support; offer direct psychological support to front-line workers like journalists, agricultural workers, parents, and educators; buttress the Introductory Climate Aware Therapy course with an intermediate/advanced offering with CE credits in the fall; apply each committee’s ingenuity and expertise to workshop programming; continue the “Deep Dive” advanced climate café facilitator training; and selectively building our development/fundraising efforts to support these efforts.
So as we enter the new year, we want to thank everyone for your volunteer efforts that make these and many more programs successful, your membership, and your donations to the Planting the Future Fundraising Campaign. We continue to seek funds for a matching grant, but at nearly $19K in Giving Tuesday donations, we feel the campaign was very successful. We are here for you and are very grateful that you are there for CPA-NA. What an incredible community!
Co-Temporary/Part-Time Executive Director, Barbara Easterlin, PhD
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Linking Conversations
In this bi-monthly Linking Conversation series, we will think and talk together about what’s happening in the world–such as extreme weather, political moments, and cultural flashpoints–and about linking thought and action, being and doing, the internal and external worlds. Through these conversations, we hope to create links that will help us bear the weight of climate change and find spaciousness from which to act. The conversations are founded on the idea that to build an empathic and justice-oriented response to the climate crisis, we need to support and honor those parts of being human that “link”—to our own inner lives, to the subjective experiences of others, to the collective lived experience of our communities, and to the environment in which we live and upon which we depend. In a culture that persistently attacks and disavows these links, we aim to recognize and support them. Free. $5 suggested donation. Please register in advance and arrive promptly. Linking conversations: DAYTIME Wednesday, January 8, 12-1 PM (ET) Register here.
SUGGESTED TOPIC FOR JANUARY: The Pathway is the Medicine We are traveling together through liminal space; there are no experts here. Bathed in uncertainty, we can easily pathologize; we can spiral into negativity. But what if it were an act of resistance to choose to trust ourselves and be in relationship with one another and the planet? Perhaps we can notice how we are being changed. We can see our values coming through. We can discover what we are called to offer.
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CLIMATE CAFÉS
Climate Café (CPA-NA) Do you have some feelings about climate change? Worry, fear, anger, sadness, and hope are just a few of the emotions that many people feel when confronted with our current climate crisis. Research shows that while most people feel alone with their feelings, the majority of people are concerned about climate change. You are not alone. Talking about these feelings in groups can help make them bearable. General admission: $10 (flexible pricing available)
Monday, January 6, 1-2:30PM (ET) Hosts: Audrey Martin and Wendy Greenspan More info. Register here.
Sunday, January 19, 6:30-8:00PM (ET) Hosts: Jennifer Fendya and Liliane Mavridara More info. Register here.
Friday, January 31, 12-1:30PM (ET) Hosts: Sadie Forsythe and Robin Cooper More info. Register here.
Climate Café Facilitator Support Group This support meeting is for those who have already been trained in climate café facilitation by CPA or CPA-NA at one of our training workshops, or who have been trained in a similar climate emotion group model. Like the non-directive, reflective model of climate cafés, this structured consultation approach allows members to bring challenges and listening support to each other around holding, or anticipating holding, climate cafés and similar emotion-support groups. Meets the 2nd Monday each month. Free. Monday, January 13, 4:00-5:15 PM (ET) Facilitators: Janet A. Castellini, Elizabeth Allured, and Wendy Greenspun More info. Register here.
How to Facilitate and Host a Climate Café: An Online Experiential Training The facilitation training workshop is for those interested in learning to become a Climate Café Facilitator, and includes the principles, process, and practicalities of this reflective group process for sharing climate emotions. Training also includes an experiential “taster” climate café for participants. Friday, January 17, 2025, 3:00 - 5:15 (ET)/12- 2:15 (PT) Presenters: Liliane Mavridara and Elizabeth Allured More info. Register here. ________________________________________
What is a climate café? It’s . . . An informal, open, respectful, confidential space to safely share emotional responses and reactions related to the climate and environmental emergency (i.e. a “container”). A space for exploration of thoughts, feelings and experiences rather than what we are DOING about the climate crisis. A quiet, reflective experience—a haven from usual busyness and activity. Not designed to lead participants to any conclusion or toward action (actions can be discussed, but reflection is paramount).
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Tuesday, February 4
7:00 PM-8:15 PM (ET)—online
What is liberation psychology, and what insights does it hold for navigating the climate crisis? Rooted in the social and environmental climate of the present moment, this dialogue brings the theory of liberation to the forefront of climate psychology work. Join us on February 4, 2025 for a dialogue featuring long-time liberation psychology scholar and practitioner Annie Jordan, and climate career counselor Trevor Lehmann, with opportunities for audience participation and Q&A. This workshop is being hosted by the CPA-NA Social Justice Subcommittee. Hosts: Annie Jordan, PhD, is a Depth Psychologist based in Vermont with a focus in Psychologies of Liberation, the study of oppression and the antidotes. She has 30 years of personal psyche work & training, 25+ years direct social justice work with diverse, historically targeted populations, and 20 years academic education and cross-cultural reconciliation work in the USA and abroad. Trevor Lehmann (M.Ed in Counseling Psychology) has 10 years of experience in Canadian post-secondary education assisting domestic and international students of all ages and academic levels. He holds a dual appointment as Career Consultant and Humanist Chaplain at the University of Manitoba. He volunteers with Palliative Manitoba providing grief and bereavement support and has interest in career development, climate psychology, grief and loss, and Humanism. More info. Register here. |
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THE 2025 MENTAL HEALTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 4, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 5, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 6 12-4:40pm (ET)/9AM-1:30PM (PT) DAILY Online
The 2025 Mental Health and Climate Change Summit is a three-day event dedicated to exploring the connections between climate change and mental health. This gathering brings together researchers, mental health professionals, environmental advocates, policymakers, and community members from around the world to address how climate change affects psychological well-being and how mental health strategies can bolster resilience against climate impacts. The Summit features a blend of keynote presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and community dialogues. Topics range from eco-anxiety and climate grief to the mental health benefits of climate action and community resilience. By sharing research, art, personal stories, and practical tools, the Summit aims to inspire meaningful change, equipping attendees with the knowledge and support needed to advocate for mental health within the climate movement. More info. Register here.
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UPDATE ON GIVING TUESDAY CAMPAIGN
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| We are nearly there! We have reached nearly 80% of our Giving Tuesday goal of matching a $25,000 gift from an anonymous donor. 84 individual donors have contributed towards our goal and we are profoundly grateful—knowing that this comes with trust that we will sheperd those resources with good intention. We have such big work ahead and because of you all, we are in a better position to move forward. If you’d like us to get that much closer to our goal, please know that our donor has agreed to keep the door open through the beginning of this new year. So please feel free to give and pass on the word! Please use the QR code or click here. |
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|  | California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is excited to share the news that the Climate Psychology Certificate (CPC) will be offered in Spring and Fall in 2025. Classes are held live on Zoom. CE credits and scholarships are available. Applications are closed for the Spring 2025 cohort. Applications for Fall 2025: May 1-June 30. CPC provides psychological training and skills for therapists, healers, and allied professionals to address the growing mental health impacts of the climate emergency. Utilizing an integrative and robust framework that include multiple behavioral science approaches and philosophies, as well as a view into the broken systemic legacies from which painful eco-emotional conditions arise, climate psychology is adaptable to various therapeutic orientations. Explore CPC’s website to learn more. Questions can be directed to Leslie Davenport. |
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Committee Updates
Agricultural Workers Committee: This committee is for anyone who might be interested in serving farmers, ranchers, land tenders, and agricultural workers or for those who might identify themselves in one of these areas. We will meet on Tuesday, January 14 at 2PM (PT)/11AM (PT). If you are interested in joining, please reach out to Emily Corbiere Bates with your interest.
Budget Committee: We look forward to creating ways to step up to the next level, moving beyond a totally volunteer based non-profit. This includes potentially bringing on an experienced development consultant, expanding our regional coordinator network, identifying content priorities, and always looking for sources of funding. For more information, please contact Mary Lou Masko. |
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The CARES Media Initiative: |
|  | It’s not too late to complete the survey! |
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The CARES Media Initiative has taken some major leaps forward. Our climate journalism and mental health survey is up and running, and we welcome participation. If you (or anybody you know) are employed as a journalist within the past two years, worked as a journalist for more than 6 months, speak English, is over 18, and live in the US, join our survey! We have also received generous support from the Solutions Journalism Network and Metcalf Institute (which will now “house” the Initiative) to continue funding the project, as we further develop public and academic collaborations with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. For more info, contact Rebecca Weston. |
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| Climate Disaster Committee: Our January meeting will include new members—so really looking forward to this. We are also planning to launch a series of training modules in the second quarter. These will cover intros to the current national and state system of disaster response and mental health as well as expanding our training to explore community-based models, especially for vulnerable communities. Please contact Mary Lou Masko for more information or if interested in joining.
Climate and Psyche Writing Group: We are a small supportive group of psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapist-writers working toward the publication of papers and presentations related to climate change mitigation, climate justice, and issues of concern in the practice of climate-aware therapy. We aim to raise awareness within the larger psychoanalytic and therapeutic community and offer each other support for that work. To that end we also practice, teach, supervise, and give presentations at universities, institutes, conferences, and on podcasts, gearing our gatherings to current needs. During meetings we check in, give feedback on drafts and outlines, offer suggestions, encourage when needed, introduce books and articles, and occasionally write spontaneously in response to prompts. We are not geared toward doctoral dissertations but more toward an ongoing commitment to publishing in-depth papers, often with case material. We meet approximately twice a month by zoom on Sundays at noon (ET)/9AM (PT). For further information contact Penelope Starr-Karlin.
Clinical Support Committee: The Clinical Support Committee is excited to report that the launching of peer clinical case consultation groups for psychotherapist members has been quite successful, with many up and running and others beginning in the new year. These peer groups allow psychotherapist members to connect with other clinicians, share internal struggles in doing climate-inclusive therapy, and focus on what it means to engage with those wrestling with climate distress, those directly affected by climate harms and injustices, as well as those not bringing these issues into our therapy rooms. The groups are posted on the Members Only section of the CPA-NA website and we will periodically send announcements on the member discussion group. Additionally, we hope to add more groups as they form. If you are interested in organizing a peer group, please let us know and we can help with the process. Contact Wendy Greenspan if interested or if you have any questions.
Community Models Committee: The Community Models Committee met in November. We simultaneously recognize that there may be greater need for our work, and more difficulty in seeking sources of funding and integration into climate planning, in the coming years. Our members discussed potential new challenges in offering equitable, accessible care or support in the communities where we live and work, as well as models that some members are already implementing. We intend to continue meeting on the first Wednesday of the month at 3PM (ET)/12PM (PT) to explore what will be possible. Please write to Kate Schapira if you have questions or would like to join.
Education and Professional Development Committee: The Professional Development Committee met in December to consider how to include a political perspective in presentations we are designing for presentation. While we cannot represent a single political party's viewpoints, we are hoping to enlarge the understanding of how political decisions and orientations impact the climate and environmental crisis. If you'd like to join us, please contact Elizabeth Allured, committee co-chair. Educators and School Counselors Committee: Our committee is pleased to announce that An Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions is available for download on the CPA-NA website. The guide is the result of over a year's worth of work by the Educators and School Counselors Committee in consultation with youth climate leaders, researchers, mental health and education professionals. It aims to provide a variety of approaches for working with climate emotions in educational settings. Committee members have been actively sharing the guide at conferences, webinars, and other presentations. To learn more about our committee and what we do and/or to join us, contact Carolyn McGrath. |
| Expressive Arts Committee This month, Mimi Stokes facilitated a powerful expressive arts, dramatic ecopsychology practice entitled "From Tragic Awe to Superabundance." Participants were led through a guided visualization in which they were invited to imagine a hopeful outcome for our planet in regards to the climate crisis. Participants then created response art using the medium of their choice (e.g. poetry, music, movement, art). The artwork featured at the top of this newsletter was created by Mor Keshet. If you are a Creative Arts Therapist or interested in how the Expressive Arts intersect with climate psychology and wish to explore these themes creatively, please join us in future meetings. The EXA committee meets the second Friday of every month at 1:00PM-2:00PM (ET)/10:00AM-11:00AM (PT). You may reach out to Mor Keshet for additional information.
Group Hub Committee: The committee is continuing with the Deep Dive Facilitator Climate Café training which is now halfway complete. They are offering climate cafés to the public. Click here if you would like to sign up for a café. It is possible that the Deep Dive program will be offered again. Stay tuned if you are interested. For more information, please contact Kathy Grayson.
The Scientist & STEM Professional Support Committee (formerly the Climate Scientists Committee) The Scientist & STEM Professional Support Committee (a slightly revised title that expands the committee's "umbrella" of support to include earth scientists, engineers and others involved in researching climate change from various lenses) has had a busy month. The Committee welcomed Martin Wagner, a decades-long Earthjustice environmental lawyer, current eco-chaplain and longtime student and friend of Joanna Macy for an informative workshop on supporting scientists in their experience of vicarious trauma and moral injury as it relates to the climate crisis. Representatives from the Committee attended AGU 2024 (the American Geophysical Union yearly conference in Washington, DC with over 24,000 earth scientists from 100 countries present) and joined with Scientist Rebellion and The Climate Disobedience Center to offer practices on emotional regulation to scientists who are interested in nonviolent civil disobedient climate activism. CPA-NA also offered a presentation on Acknowledging Our Climate Grief to approximately 70 scientists, who sat in circles to express anxiety, fears, anger, numbness, or despair. Many in attendance reported that they had never had an opportunity to do that before. Clearly earth scientists, climatologists and others in the field are drawn to opportunities to express their emotions vulnerably and openly among their peers, as a way of building resilience and undoing aloneness in the face of daunting climate impacts. Please contact Teddy Kellam or Kristan Childs for inquiries or to join the committee.
Social Justice Committee: The Social Justice Committee is excited to share updates on its ongoing initiatives. We are currently offering a Liberation Psychology Workshop, on February 2, 2025. This event will feature two very special guest presenters, Annie Jordan and Trevor Lehmann who will guide an engaging and thought-provoking discussion on applying liberation psychology principles in therapeutic practice. Click here to attend. In addition, the committee continues its efforts to support other organizational committees in integrating social justice principles into their work. We are also actively seeking new members to join us. If you are interested in joining, we would love to hear from you! For more information, contact Emily Hart Roth.
Youth Committee: The Youth Committee is dedicated to empowering younger generations in the face of climate and environmental crises. We seek to understand and address the bio-psycho-social-environmental impacts of these crises on youth. Our mission is to support the emotional well-being of young people, families, and caregivers, as well as provide education, training, consultation, and collaboration for youth related organizations committed to fostering a sustainable, just, and equitable future. We meet on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 2PM (ET/11AM (PT). Please reach out to Jenni Silverstein if you would like to join us!
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PUBLICATIONS, VIDEOS, PODCASTS
Is there a “doomer” in your life? This article, “Spending Christmas with ‘Dr. Doom’,” profiles scientists determined to disseminate what they know about climate change, and shows how their efforts impact their family members and others. Rebecca Weston and Kathy Childs offer comments about the work of CPA-NA and its support of climate scientists.
Nature journal npj/Climate Action has published an article, “Climate change psychological distress is associated with increased collective climate action in the U.S.”. The authors examine the relationship between climate change psychological distress and engagement in collective climate action, e.g., social, civic, and political actions such as discussing climate change with friends and family, signing petitions, contacting government officials, and similar efforts. One conclusion: “Certain groups, including Hispanics/Latinos, lower income adults, urban residents and younger adults, report a higher prevalence of climate -related psychological distress compared to the general population.”
Nina Dietz wrote the article, “Grief, Hope, Joy: Faith in the Time of Climate Change,” looking at the work of various faith-based groups, from the indigenous people of Hawaii to the Pentacostals in Mississippi, that helps coping with and fighting for climate and environmental justice and disaster recovery.
The Climate Mental Health Network has published a Climate Emotions 101 page for self-care and coping strategies in response to climate change. Tips, video, and worksheets available for download in English and Spanish.
An article in The Guardian poses the question, “What is the real toll of natural and climate disasters?” while outlining new answers offered by science. Acknowledging that the effects of natural disasters are widespread and long-lasting, the writer reaches this conclusion: “We are used to thinking about natural disasters as events confined in time and space: the direct impact in a certain location of an earthquake happens over minutes, a hurricane over hours. While they might be confined in geography, longitudinal studies can help us understand the full range of effects and what extra efforts might be needed to rebuild.” |
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Part memoir, part expert analysis, Disasterology is a passionate and personal account of a country in crisis—one unprepared to deal with the disasters of today and those looming in our future.
Samantha Montano, a disaster researcher, brings readers with her on an eye-opening journey through some of our worst disasters, helping readers make sense of what really happened from an emergency management perspective. She explains why we aren’t doing enough to prevent or prepare for disasters, the critical role of media, and how our approach to recovery was not designed to serve marginalized communities.
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| In an episode on The Climate Pod, “How to Deal with Climate Anxiety,” Kate Schapira (author of the book Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth—How to Live with Care and Purpose in an Endangered World) shares her journey into understanding climate change's emotional impact, the importance of listening, and why creating intentional spaces for dialogue is critical.
The 44th Annual E.F. Schumacher Lecture featuring Paul Hawken and Báyò Akómoláfé in conversation—”You can’t get There from Here: Carbon, Climate and the Call to Wonder”—is available for online viewing.
Season 4, Episode 9 of the podcast, Climate Change and Happiness, features Steffi Bednarek discussing her journey into climate psychology and the importance of Gestalt therapy in her understanding of how our selves entwine with nature and our perceptions of environmental issues and problems.
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FOR CPA-NA MEMBERS ONLY: CLIMATE AWARE THERAPY DIRECTORY SURVEY To best shape the new CAT Directory and expand the functionality of this resource for clinicians and users, we have created a new survey to gather your opinions about what would be most useful to include in the Directory. If you want a say in how the Directory gets updated, it’s in your best interest to participate in this survey! If we do not hear from you, we assume that you support any updates, including increases in fees. Our goal is to receive a 100% response rate from those already listed on the CAT Directory by January 15, 2025. I will be sending regular reminders in the next month– so if you have five minutes now, please go ahead and complete the survey. We ultimately hope a new and improved directory better serves you and users, and allows you to more easefully get connected to future clients. Inquiries: contact Emily Corbiere Bates.
CLIM/ARTS—ART CONTEST 4 THE CLIMATE Carleton University is working with community partners to develop a micro-credential in Climate Change and Youth Mental Health. To engage young people in this process, we are seeking submissions from anyone under the age of 25 who would like to address one or more of the prompts through any form of arts (drawings, paintings, digital art, photography, poetry, music, and video). Each entry will be reviewed by a panel of young people and experts in climate change who will assign three prizes: 1st prize $500; 2nd prize $300; 3rd prize $150. Click here to see the prompts and for more info. Submission deadline has been extended. |
| | | While young people may not always talk about these experiences in school or act outwardly distressed, their feelings about climate change are still making their way into the classroom. What can educators do to help young people navigate these difficult emotions? The Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions, written by a team of teachers, researchers, and mental health clinicians, in consultation with youth climate leaders and climate psychology professionals, offers a variety of approaches for working with climate emotions in educational settings. |
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|  | Introductory Workshop: Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions (60 min)
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| | To post to the listserv: use this address. To read postings on the listserv, use this link. If you are a member, you already have access to the listserv. |
| | | We are 100% volunteer based and funded by membership contributions. |
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|  | Copyright (C) 2025 Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. All rights reserved.
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