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Climate Aware Mental Health: An outward-looking, creative, systems perspective

liza157
Aug 13
3 min read

Updated: Aug 15


This blog post proudly written entirely by a human!


Heat has been on my mind.  Here in Atlanta, it’s hot and humid, water levels are low, but it doesn’t feel dry and crispy.  The trees and grass are green, the temperature has been dropping at night so everybody can relax a bit, and I feel safe to enjoy outdoor activities as long as I’m keeping hydrated and not overdoing it.


It’s a different story this summer in Europe, where heat wave after heat wave is hitting many areas with temperatures reaching well over 100 degrees for days at a time.  Europe is warming at twice the rate of other continents, in large part due to the loss of Arctic ice, so now instead of the sunlight being reflected, it’s being absorbed.  


I’m grateful for summer weather that feels manageable and even enjoyable.  But even on beautiful, mild days, I’m keenly aware that this is not promised to me for the future.  I’m existing in my own individual life, but also in the shared global life of our world.  And that world is changing.


And change is hard.  But it also opens doors to new futures.  I believe that the actions we take today shape the possibilities that are open to us – and those who come after us – in the years to come.  Climate-aware mental health seeks to help people show up now in ways that promote long-term wellbeing at all the systems levels - individual, family, society, Earth.  So in that spirit, I wanted to write briefly about two characteristics of climate-aware mental health.


  1. Climate aware mental health sees climate change through the lens of intersectionality and social determinants of health.


    Different people are impacted differently by climate change.  For example, certain groups – seniors, young children, those with chronic health conditions, and those without access to air conditioning – are more at risk during a heat wave.  In Paris during the 2003 heat wave, deaths were concentrated among the elderly, especially in urban areas and nursing homes [1].  Climate mental health demands not only that we care about the climate, but that we care about the human beings living in it and the conditions that shape their lives.  We advocate for the wellbeing of all people, while recognizing that individuals experience different impacts depending on their physical and social locations.


  1. Climate mental health doesn’t stay in the therapy room.

      

    When supporting humans who are experiencing climate-related distress and grief, it may be important to collaboratively explore ways to take positive action.  Furthermore, climate mental health practitioners are involved in supporting change to uphold the importance of human life.  We may expand our advocacy to uphold the importance of all life. 


There are many ways that care for our shared living world can expand beyond the walls of the therapy room.  For some ideas, I suggest Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Map Framework (https://www.socialchangemap.com/).  She highlights the many different ways that people can contribute meaningfully to creating a better world.   Many practitioners are also expanding their work literally outside the therapy room, by offering nature-based and community-based services.


To me, this is a really exciting part of being a climate aware therapist -- I feel empowered to question everything AND get creative about how I show up as a therapist. I hope this article helps you think creatively about your own path!


Key takeaways: 

  • Everything is connected.  Small actions we take today may shape big changes in the future. 

  • Climate-aware mental health values individuals and holds human beings with compassion while advocating for positive changes and thinking critically on all systems levels.

  • Climate-aware mental health has room for the creative expression of the selves of the practitioner and those they serve.


Further reading options:





 
 
 

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