No wonder more people are seeking care from climate-aware therapists. Some go to therapy to figure out whether they should have kids in the age of rapid climate change. Others are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder from natural disasters or are burned out from advocacy work.
But if the threat is existential, is there value in sorting out how you feel about it? "The very first step is full validation," says Leslie Davenport, a climate-psychology educator and author. Understand that it's not irrational to be full of worry, rage, fear, or guilt when the planet's on fire.
Instead of ignoring them, "take the energy of all those emotions and redirect them into constructive action," says Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., who co-founded the Climate Psychiatry Alliance. You could advocate for change and make changes yourself: reducing your carbon footprint by walking or biking instead of driving, for example.
Here, climate-aware therapists share their most effective coping strategies for going from overwhelmed to empowered.
1. Find your people
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