Countering Climate Distress: From Climate Aware Therapy to Climate Action
Information
Date & Time
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Identify key components of climate aware therapy, including the relationship between addressing climate distress and advancing social/racial/economic justice, applying a systemic and socio-political lens, situating human psychology within ecological relationship, and other unique considerations for delivering climate-aware therapy.
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Identify the concept of emotional inflammation as a framework to understand and examine the continuum of emotional responses to the climate crisis.
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Identify 4 key reactor types and therapeutic interventions to foster a shift from a bystander response to an upstander response.
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Identify 2 clinical approaches to address different forms of climate distress and emotional inflammation.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this workshop is to introduce mental health practitioners to climate aware therapy and how to incorporate it into their clinical practice.
Description
This course will introduce participants to the central concerns and questions regarding climate emotions in therapeutic practice. Lise Van Susteran, a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of climate psychology, will emphasize taking action to counter climate distress as a key element to support mental health providers to help individuals and society cope with rising stress. This will include exploration of personal, professional, and political implications of climate aware therapy.
Target Audience
- Counselor
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Psychologist
- Social Worker
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Dr. Lise Van Susteren is a practicing General and Forensic Psychiatrist specializing in climate and mental health. She is a co-founder of Climate Psychiatry Alliance, Climate Psychology Alliance-North America and of Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. Dr. Van Susteren is a member of the Board of Directors of Earth Day Network, ecoAmerica, and previously served as an Advisor to the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment. She is the author of “Emotional Inflammation” and the editor of “Climate and Your Mind” and is a frequent contributor to the media on matters related to climate. The Climate Aware Therapist concept was initiated by Dr. Van Susteren in response to the rising number of calls for help with climate distress, and the difficulty in finding professionals to respond to the distress.