Article summary:
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Climate anxiety is intensifying in Australia, affecting a wide range of people, particularly younger and older Australians.
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This year's APS Psychology Week is psychology and the environment. Learn more about how to host your own event.
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40 per cent of APS members anticipate a rise in climate-related mental health issues over the coming years, finds APS's Thinking Futures Report: Psychology and Climate Change.
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Psychologists can support clients by validating their emotions and using terms like 'climate anxiety' to normalise their concerns.
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Reframing clients' environmental worries as strengths and encouraging small, meaningful actions can help reduce anxiety.
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Techniques like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and cognitive restructuring are effective for managing climate-related distress.
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Psychologists themselves may experience climate distress and should seek support if needed.
Climate change is impacting Australians' mental health, with eco-anxiety only set to intensify. Here are some useful ways psychologists can help their clients process fear relating to our environment.
Climate anxiety is intensifying in Australia, with many of us struggling to process what’s happening to the world around us.
"We're extremely concerned about the toll eco-anxiety is taking on Australians' mental health," says APS President Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe. "It used to be something only a small group of patients worried about. Now it's commonly discussed in therapy sessions with psychologists.
"Some of those affected have been directly impacted by natural disasters like bushfires and floods; others are simply overwhelmed by media coverage that leaves them feeling helpless."
Psychologist Carlye Weiner MAPS says eco-anxiety provokes "a strong mix of emotions".
"Climate anxiety leads to worry, fear, sadness and helplessness, and a sense of impending doom that the world is going to end.
"Proximity to climate impacts can cause trauma, grief or loss. And there's anger – at the government plus organisations and individuals of authority – for not doing the right thing by the climate."
Who is most vulnerable to climate anxiety?
While there are no demographic constraints on those who can feel climate anxiety, research suggests that young people are especially impacted by it.
A survey by youth mental health organisation Orygen and Mission Australia of around 19,000 Australians aged 15 to 19 in 2023 found three-fifths have some level of concern about climate change, with 21 per cent feeling very or extremely concerned.
Older Australians are also heavily impacted, says Dr Davis-McCabe.
"They're especially vulnerable to extreme weather such as heatwaves, and they worry about how their local resources may be impacted and how well they'll be able to adapt to changing conditions. On top of this, disruptions to social networks further heighten their vulnerability."
These experiences are worrying when we consider how they may manifest when compounded over time, as psychologists expect climate anxiety to intensify.
APS's Thinking Futures Report: Psychology and Climate Change, released earlier this year, reveals that 40 per cent of APS members anticipate a significant rise in climate-related mental health issues over the coming years.
"However, our report also found that 92 per cent of APS members believe psychology can contribute to building resilience against the psychological impacts of climate change and natural disasters," says Dr Davis-McCabe.
To mark the theme of this year's APS Psychology Week – Psychology and the environment – here are six practical ways psychologists can support their clients.
1. Understand and validate the individual impact
Determine if the client has been directly affected by climate events or is emotionally connected to the cause, says Weiner. Then validate their concerns by adopting the terms 'climate anxiety' or 'eco-anxiety'.
"Some people can't quite label or articulate their worry. Using [this] language can be really powerful," she says.
Dr Davis-McCabe agrees, saying, "The more we normalise the specific experiences of climate-related mental health concerns, the more we empower people to seek support. It helps remove the stigma and allows clients to recognise that their emotions are valid responses to real threats, not just abstract fears."
2. Reframe their concerns to empower them
Commend those who care about environmental issues, says Weiner.
"Tell them how wonderful it is that they are concerned and help them see that as a strength. Reframing the issue can lessen the emotional intensity."
Helping clients to channel their energies into meaningful actions, however small, can also be helpful, she adds.
"This could be anything from joining an activist group to planting greenery or reducing waste. Feeling in control is a wonderful antidote to helplessness."
But Weiner says psychologists need to watch out for all-or-nothing behaviour as people seek to improve their environmental identity.
"Some people go to extremes to make sure that they cut out [things like] fossil fuels and all the things that might be contributing to climate change [entirely]. We can help them find a middle ground to buffer them against feeling distressed."
3. Create circles of control
Help clients identify what's directly within their control, what may be and what isn’t, says Weiner.
"Visual tools like drawing three concentric circles can help – one circle for aspects of life that we can control, another for things we can influence, and a final circle for things we are concerned about but have no control over.
"This helps to highlight the common thinking trap where people overestimate what they actually have control over.
Realising they aren't responsible for solving climate change entirely can take the heat out of the anxiety.
4. Adopt useful therapeutic techniques
Therapeutic techniques such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) allow clients to work towards accepting negative feelings in order to explore personal values and actions, says Weiner.
"The six core principles of ACT – developing psychological flexibility; defusion, acceptance; contact with the present moment; observing the self; values; and committed action – align well with treating climate anxiety," says Weiner.
"If someone feels despair, this can help them see their control and potential to make a difference."
It’s also important to set boundaries around media consumption, says Weiner.
"Recognising contributors to distress through the content clients absorb and the way they think helps to neutralise these automatic thoughts and allow space for alternative perspectives.
"It's about cognitive restructuring of unhelpful thinking styles including mental filtering, which can cause tunnel vision or catastrophic thinking, where people assume the worst-case scenario.
"Instead, clients can focus on positive environmental actions and the impact of organisations making a difference."
5. Teach relaxation and mindfulness through nature
Relaxation and mindfulness techniques are beneficial for any form of anxiety, says Weiner.
"For those who value the natural world, grounding strategies like feeling your feet on the earth or dipping your toes in the ocean can offer an immediate calming effect, making this a very valuable technique for distress."
There are activities in nature that can be both therapeutic and environmentally beneficial, such as picking up litter, she adds.
Dr Davis-McCabe adds, "Spending time in green spaces or even gardening can also serve as a powerful mindfulness practice. These actions allow clients to reconnect with nature in a meaningful way, while also contributing positively to the environment. This dual benefit can be incredibly empowering for those struggling with feelings of helplessness or loss of control."
6. Connect with others
Using social media to our advantage to find people with similar worries, values and interests can also be helpful, says Weiner.
"Being part of a support or action community helps people feel less alone. Plus there's strength in numbers; collective action has more power," says Weiner.
Dr Davis-McCabe says psychologists play a critical role in building a collective resistance to climate anxiety.
"Mentally resilient communities are better equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters."
Approaching the topic with sensitivity is paramount, she adds.
"Being aware of how people in our lives may be feeling, and encouraging them to share those feelings in an understanding environment is really important."
Psychologists need support too
It's important to remember that psychologists themselves may also experience climate distress, says Dr Davis-McCabe.
"It can be really overwhelming if the person in front of you is highlighting some of these issues and you have similar concerns."
APS's Thinking Futures report reveals 94 per cent of APS members are worried about the future impact of climate change on the community's mental health, with nine per cent saying it also impacts their own work productivity.
"It's important to recognise that as professionals, we are not immune to the emotional toll of climate change," says Davis-McCabe.
"If we're experiencing similar feelings of distress or overwhelm, it can affect our ability to provide the best care to our clients. Prioritising our own mental health through peer support, supervision, or professional counselling ensures we can maintain resilience and continue supporting others effectively."
Visit our website for ideas about how to set up your own event to mark Psychology Week, which runs from 28 October to 3 November.