We are living through a daunting time, with the ongoing global climate crisis affecting millions. In 2024 alone, the US experienced 27 major climate-related disasters, making it the second-highest number on record — second only to 2023, which saw 28.
These numbers only represent one country. On a global scale, the World Meteorological Organization reported more than 600 extreme weather events last year, displacing and impacting hundreds of thousands of people.
The psychological toll of climate-related events is profound. In response, we have partnered with the Climate Psychiatry Alliance (CPA) to compile resources focused on effective coping strategies, therapy for eco-anxiety, and finding the support you need.
Coping with climate distress
George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication recently published an article in Nature entitled “Climate change psychological distress is associated with increased collective climate action in the U.S.”
The study discovered that 16% of American adults report experiencing at least one symptom of psychological distress due to climate change. Certain groups, such as Hispanics/Latinos, lower-income adults, urban residents, and younger adults, reported a higher prevalence of climate-related psychological distress compared to the general population.
The results of the correlational research revealed that actively participating in collective action (including volunteering, contacting government officials, engaging in social movements, and conversing about climate change) can reduce the negative effects of climate anxiety on the mental health of young adults.
The CPA team offers additional alternatives on how to cope with a changing climate. This toolkit, created by Dr. Robin Cooper, Dr. Beth Mark, Dr. Janet Lewis, and Dr. Robert Feder, is designed to help affected individuals address the impacts of climate distress.
Below you will find the link to CPA’s toolkit and other additional coping strategies and resources:
- All we can save
- Box breathing relaxation technique: how to calm feelings of stress or anxiety
- CPA Climate Distress Toolkit
- Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults: Stay Prepared, Stay Safe
- George Mason University Center for Climate Change and Communication article
- 4-7-8 breathing
Improving individual therapy for eco-anxiety
To assist behavioral health clinicians in addressing climate-related concerns with their clients, Dr. Robert Feder created “A Brief Guide to Individual Therapy for Climate-Related Mental Distress.”
Dr. Feder has been a clinical psychiatrist for more than 35 years and is active in many climate organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Caucus on Climate Change and Mental Health, the New Hampshire Healthcare Workers for Climate Action, 350NH, and No Coal, No Gas.
The Guide includes recommendations on cognitive restructuring, building emotional resilience, and purposeful action. Additional resources for Medical Climate Justice Organizations include:
- AAMC Center for Health Justice
- APHA Center for Climate, Health and Equity
- Health Care Without Harm
- Medical Society Consortium for Climate and Health, Health Equity and Climate Justice Initiative
Finding support services
Finally, we highlight CPA’s compilation of resources for those searching for support. These include climate cafés, support groups, climate aware therapists, and other resources for adults, parents, and children.
Below you will find the link to CPA’s guide and additional resources:
- Climate-Aware Therapist Directory
- Climate Mental Health Network
- Good Grief Network
- CPA's Guide to Finding Support Services for Climate Distress
- International Climate Cafés
- Resources to Support Processing Climate Emotions
- USA-based Climate Cafés
For those specifically looking for a therapist who is knowledgeable about the climate crisis, refer to this directory for climate-aware therapists in your area.
Please note that these resources are not meant as a substitute for mental health services. If you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms of climate anxiety or a mental health crisis, seek support from a therapist or trusted loved one, or contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 911 immediately.
Building community - & taking action
Although there are so many uncertainties, we hope resources like these will be useful as we navigate the current state of the world together.
Finding people to lean on with similar values can act as a strong support system, especially like-minded individuals in spaces such as local climate allies or climate-related events. It’s important to engage in collective action and utilize climate-related mental health resources to channel emotions into meaningful and productive change.
As Dolores Huerta, one of the co-founders of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), once said:
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”
Additional resources
- Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Inequities, Responses (American Psychological Association, 2021).
- Climate Change & Youth Mental Health Psychological Impacts, Resilience Resources and Future Directions (See Change Institute, 2022).
Related webinars:
- CHE Café with Elizabeth Sawin and Beverley Thorpe: Multisolving for climate, chemicals & health (CHE, 2024).
- Chemical Exposures and Children’s Mental Health (CHE Alaska, 2024)
- Challenges & Opportunities at the Intersection of Climate, Health & Justice (CHE & Agents of Change, 2023)
Visit our Instagram to see the full series with CPA:
Note: This is the third blog in a series on the mental health impacts of climate change. See also Climate Anxiety 101: Understanding, recognizing, & managing environmental worry and Climate Anxiety 102: Navigating crises & resilience.