Eco-anxiety

“I can’t stand to see another news report of wildfires, floods, or hurricanes destroying lives and habitats.”

“My heart breaks when I hear about species going extinct.”

“I lie in bed worrying about the future of this planet.”

“I talk about my climate-anxiety to others, but sometimes I feel so alone in this.”

“I want to have children but I’m overwhelmed with guilt at the idea of the future they would have.”

Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety

Eco-anxiety (sometimes called climate anxiety) is an understandable and proportionate response to the ecological and climate crisis. While it is not a mental health disorder, it can become difficult to carry when the emotions associated with environmental change begin to affect our wellbeing, relationships, or everyday life.

Strictly speaking, eco-anxiety is a term to describe distress about the future, but there are many other feelings that emerge in the face of climate change and ecological degradation.

Some people experience a profound sense of ecological grief for ecosystems, places, species, or ways of life that are disappearing or have already been lost.

Others experience eco-guilt—feelings of guilt or responsibility arising from the awareness of our own environmental impact, or from the sense that we are not doing enough in the face of the climate crisis.

Some people feel powerless, struggle to find meaningful ways to act, or experience the loneliness of feeling that those around them do not fully understand what they are going through.

For others, the climate crisis is not only a concern about the future, but a lived reality. Wildfires, floods, heatwaves, droughts, and other extreme weather events can often be experienced as traumatic events.

Psychotherapy for eco-anxiety offers a safe space to understand and process these experiences, develop resilience, and reconnect with a sense of meaning, belonging, and possibility.

Climate-Aware Therapy

Climate-aware therapy recognises that the climate and ecological crisis can have a significant impact on our mental and emotional wellbeing.

It creates space to explore the many different eco-emotions that can arise in response to environmental change: fear, uncertainty, grief, anger, eco-guilt, helplessness, and despair, but also hope, gratitude, wonder, and a renewed sense of connection with the living world.

As a climate-aware therapist, I understand that these emotions are not simply individual worries or problems to be solved. They are often deeply human responses to a wider social, ecological, and collective reality.

Therapy offers an opportunity to make sense of these experiences, explore what they mean in the context of your life, and discover ways of relating to them that support both your wellbeing and your values.

Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy

Ecopsychology recognises that we are not separate from nature. Our sense of identity, belonging, purpose, and wellbeing is deeply influenced by our relationship with the living world.

Rather than viewing eco-anxiety solely as something to fix eliminate, ecopsychology understands it as a meaningful response that reflects our connection to the natural world and our concern for its future.

Ecotherapy brings the principles of ecopsychology into therapeutic practice by integrating awareness of nature into the healing process.

This may include exploring eco-emotions, strengthening your relationship with the natural world, working through the body and senses, or taking therapy outdoors through Walk & Talk Therapy.

Nature as a Relationship

In ecotherapy, nature is not simply seen as a tool for relaxation or stress reduction.

Instead, it is understood as a relationship—one that can offer perspective, reflection, healing, and a deeper sense of belonging.

Reconnecting with the natural world can also help us reconnect with ourselves, our communities, and the wider web of life of which we are a part.

Ecotherapy reminds us that caring for ourselves and caring for the planet are deeply interconnected processes.

From Overwhelm to Meaningful Action

The goal of therapy for eco-anxiety is not to stop caring or to eliminate difficult emotions about the climate crisis.

Instead, climate-aware therapy and ecotherapy help us understand and work with these feelings so they can become sources of awareness, resilience, connection, and thoughtful action.

When we learn to make space for emotions such as fear, grief, or eco-guilt, we are often better able to respond in ways that are aligned with our values, rather than becoming overwhelmed or paralysed by them.

This process can also support a stronger sense of self. When we reconnect with our values, recognise our own resources, and develop trust in our ability to respond to challenges, we can begin to cultivate a authentic sense of self-worth. This is closely connected to self-esteem: the way we perceive our own qualities, abilities, and capacity to engage meaningfully with the world around us.

In therapy, I can help you make sense of what you are experiencing, identify meaningful and sustainable ways of taking action, and develop strategies for coping with thoughts and emotions that may feel too large to carry alone.

We may do this through traditional talking therapy, or by integrating Walk & Talk Therapy and other ecotherapeutic approaches, bringing the therapeutic process into a deeper relationship with the natural world.

Find Out More

For more on eco-anxiety, ecopsychology and ecotherapy, you can read my blog and find me on Instagram or LinkedIn.

To learn more about psychotherapy and my clinical work, you can read about my other Specialty Areas and my approach to Individual Therapy here, and take a read through my profile.

If you’re interested in starting therapy make sure look at my FAQ page and Fees Page. And if you’d like to work with me, be sure to check my availabilities at the top of the contact page.