Therapists’ experience of climate change: A dialectic between personal and professional

Eco-anxiety among regional Australian youth with mental health problems: A qualitative study

AIM

In Australia, climate-related disasters disproportionately affect rural, regional and remote young people with effects ranging from severe flooding and catastrophic fires to unbearable heat and yet most studies on eco-anxiety are based on reports by urban youth who do not have direct experiences of such impacts. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research on how eco-anxiety impacts those who already experience mental health problems. The present study aims to address this gap by focussing on the lived experiences of regional Australian youth with recent experience of climate-related disasters alongside clinical insights from those involved in their care.

METHODS

Two groups, a clinician and client group, were recruited through headspace Port Macquarie-a primary youth mental health service in a regional city of New South Wales, Australia. In all, 25 participants took part in focus group discussions, including 13 clinicians and 12 clients of the service. Clients and clinicians responded to a version of the same questions: (1) whether the effects of climate change impact on regional youth with mental health problems, (2) how young people cope with eco-anxiety and (3) how regional communities can help young people cope with eco-anxiety better. Group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analysed according to the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis using a team approach.

RESULTS

Three dimensions of eco-anxiety were identified by clinicians and clients-helplessness in the present, hopelessness about the future and acute stress and anxiety related to experiences of severe flooding and fires. Clinicians and clients also thought that a misalignment between young people and older generations, including government, was a source of eco-anxiety and having a collective voice was seen as important for regional youth as was community support through social media sites. Clinicians thought that eco-anxiety was 'in the background' for their clients, whereas the clients who participated were clearly experiencing eco-anxiety. Whereas clinicians could identify potential coping strategies, clients could not.

CONCLUSIONS

Eco-anxiety can be experienced by regional youth with mental health problems as both an acute response to natural hazards and a more sustained sense of hopelessness about the future. Impacts of acute anxiety and chronic hopelessness, with its associated depression risk, among young people with pre-existing mental health problems warrants further investigation as this study suggests that it may exacerbate their existing conditions. Clinicians and clients in this region would benefit from specific training and resources related to the identification and treatment of eco-anxiety. Future research on climate-related mental health should be inclusive of the perspectives of those who have direct experience of climate-related adverse events.

Eco-Anxiety and Pastoral Care: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Suggestions

The environmental crisis is producing an increasing number of both physical and psychological impacts. This article studies the challenge of eco-anxiety for pastoral care, drawing from both interdisciplinary research and ecological theology. The aim is to help both practitioners and researchers to encounter eco-anxiety more constructively. The rapidly growing research about eco-anxiety and therapy is discussed in relation to pastoral care. The various forms of eco-anxiety are briefly analyzed. The role of the caregivers is discussed by using sources that study the challenges of therapists in relation to eco-anxiety. The existential depths of eco-anxiety are probed in the light of recent research and older existentialist theory. It is pointed out that the political character of ecological issues, especially climate change issues, causes many kinds of challenges for pastoral care. As the constructive conclusion of the article, various possibilities and resources for encountering eco-anxiety in pastoral care are discussed, along with the connections with wider pastoral theology. It is argued that pastoral care providers should engage in self-reflection about their own attitudes and emotions related to ecological issues, preferably with the support of trusted peers or mentors. Various organizational developments are also needed to support caregivers. Dialectical thinking is one tool that can help to navigate the complex dynamics related to environmental responsibility, eco-emotions, and questions of hope or hopelessness.