Climate change is a long-standing interest of mine, stemming from my first career as an evolutionary biologist. It’s an overwhelming and enormously complex issue, affecting every societal system, exacerbating every power dynamic. It’s no wonder it stirs up extremely uncomfortable emotions which many of us resist (as a good friend of mine once said, “I’d rather go out for tacos than talk about this”).

I get it: resistance to difficult feelings is normal. That’s why we psychologists are explicitly trained on working with resistance. I’ve found that one of the best ways is by connecting with others: talking about our experiences, taking the time to allow the emotions involved to be shared and explored. This intimate connection is deeply nourishing and sustaining. Whatever we’re facing, we can have THAT, if we make the effort. And it is from that nourished place that we have the best chance to make real difference in the world.

I offer:

  • Workshops for therapists on using group to process the psychological experience of climate change (previous venues include the Austin Group Psychotherapy Society, the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and the Climate Psychology Alliance)
  • An ongoing training group for therapists to learn group technique and to get support for their climate-focused work; meets virtually on Tuesdays 2:00 – 3:30 CST
  • Psychotherapy and clinical consultation on climate change and psychological experience
  • Presentations on climate change science, policy, and psychology

 

Click here to read an interview with me about working with groups on climate change.

Or here to read my article in the online newsletter of the Group Analytic Society International: “We need to talk! Group therapy can help the climate crisis”