Join a Working Committee!
The field of climate psychology is growing, changing and deepening as we come to recognize the varied and layered climate related mental health needs that are arising out of this crisis. Whether we are talking about climate activists, environmental justice activists, climate scientists, climate journalists, environmental educators, high school counselors, psychotherapists, parents, or youth - we know that even as we are all dealing with the climate crisis itself, our experience of and relationship to that crisis varies considerably. This is all the more true, as people also face on-going and adjacent threats related to reproductive freedom, gender policing (anti-trans legislation), housing and income inequity, racism and anti-immigrant policies.
For this reason, as we grow in membership, we are organizing an evolving set of committees in which we begin to explore the intersections between climate related mental issues and certain key topic areas. From these, we plan to offer support, gather articles, create resources, host trainings and collate best practices. In alphabetical order:
Advocacy & Outreach Committee
About: This joint committee is exploring ways in which we can draw on our expertise to advocate for legislation and resources oriented around the mental health impacts of climate change to leaders.
Committee contact: Lise Van Susteren
Climate and Expressive Arts Committee
About: This subcommittee will explore the potential of expressive arts in facilitating climate emotional processing, healing and resilience-building, promoting climate engagement, and the power of the creative arts in building community and building "bridges." Modalities include (but are not limited to): Poetry / Writing; Visual art; Music; Dance; Movement; Drama / storytelling; Eco-art therapy. We plan to offer events, discussions, and trainings related to climate, art and mental health.
Committee Contact: Ariella Cook-Shonkoff
Climate and Psyche writers group
About: This is a writer’s group for CPA members who are developing climate-related articles for psychological and psychoanalytic journals and books. We use an evolving and collaborative structure that is responsive to the needs of participating members (prompts, sharing pages, giving feedback and resources, discussion and support, accountability and goal-setting, as appropriate). Limited membership, commitments required.
Subcommittee Contact: Penelope Starr-Karlin
Clinical Consultation and Climate Cafe Committee
About: This committee is focused on devising and hosting consult groups for climate aware clinicians and on training members of the public to lead climate cafes.
Committee contact: Wendy Greenspun
Educators and School Counselors Support Committee
About: This committee is collaborating with others in the field to pilot projects to offer guidance and support for educators and school counselors as they teach about climate and relate to students experiencing levels of climate distress.
Committee contact: Carolyn McGrath
Education and Training Committees
Curriculum Development and Workshop Programming: This subcommittee is focused on developing lines of CE credited curriculum related to several different areas of focus: clinical training; clinician-as-activist training; interdisciplinary applications of climate psychology; and the intersection of climate mental health and climate justice. If you would like to join in this work or have ideas you’d like to suggest or offer for a workshop, contact us!
Subcommittee contact: TBD
Professional Development Subcommittee : This subcommittee is focused on developing mentoring programs for clinicians and helping mental health professionals create trainings or presentations on topics related to climate psychology. This group includes clinicians in marginalized and indigenous communities that are often more significantly and chronically impacted by the climate crisis.
Subcommittee contact: Elizabeth Allured
Group Facilitators Hub Committee
About: This committee has created a “group facilitators hub" that is a centralized location for CPA member facilitators of climate emotion/process groups to find resources and co-facilitators, build skills, and more. This committee will also develop on-going projects related to disaster resources, group work and community mental health support.
Committee contact: Audrey Martin
Social Justice, Intersectionality and Climate Mental Health Subcommittee
About: In collaboration with others in the environmental justice and mental health fields, we are focused on climate justice. We are devising trainings and programs for our members to think intersectionally, recommending policies and procedures that address systemic racism and inequity within our own organization and in the larger field of climate mental health and helping diversify and expand services for populations not currently served through existing climate-related mental health opportunities.
Committee contact: Rebecca Weston
Trauma Informed Climate Journalism Project:
About: This project is meant to address the mental health needs of climate journalists and help them connect better with their sources and with their audience. In this way, we hope not only to provide support for essential front line climate workers, but also impact climate news in such a way that we can reduce news avoidance and foster greater trust and community engagement with climate journalists.
Committee contact: Rebecca Weston
Youth Focus and Outreach Committee
About: In coordination with our sister organization, the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, this committee is for clinicians who are interested in thinking through effective mental health approaches, outreach strategies, and programming to meet the needs of youth and their parents.
Committee contact: Jenni Silverstein