Toolbox for Social Workers To Help Clients Experiencing Climate Grief and Eco-Anxiety

by Erinn Bromley

     The signs of climate change are hard to ignore. Whether you hear about climate change on the news or you have experienced it firsthand, climate change is contributing to the ever-growing climate grief, or eco-anxiety, felt by an increasing number of people.

     Climate change can be described as a slow onset process that impacts humans and their ecosystems in a myriad of ways. The psychosocial impacts might not be detected or diagnosed immediately (Ferreira, 2020). A current survey of young people ages 16-25 in more than 10 countries shows an increase in feelings of hopelessness, depression, and anxiety, including 75% of those surveyed feeling “the future is frightening.” More than half surveyed identified climate change as a source of worry, including feeling sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty about climate change.

     As a graduate student of social work and someone who identifies as suffering from eco-anxiety, it is important to me to find ways to help others to build a toolbox of useful strategies to help with this ever-growing dilemma. This is especially true knowing that climate change will augment existing inequalities, rendering those most marginalized within our society to be at greater peril to the mental and physical health consequences of changing climate (Hayes et al., 2018).

Educate Yourself on the Issues

     First, social workers need to become aware and educate themselves on the climate change crisis. Identifying eco-anxiety as part of the reality of climate change will set the groundwork for engaging clients who express distressing mental health symptoms and/or apprehension in making life decisions caused directly/indirectly by the global climate crisis. Social workers need to acknowledge climate change as a real threat that may undermine further progress with their clients and eco-anxiety, not as a pathology, but as a symptom of a collective trauma. Normalize your clients’ anxiety about climate change and give them a non-judgmental space to share their feelings and emotions.

      Therapists can utilize a scale with clients who share they have anxiety around climate change to gauge the severity of the individual’s distress. A climate aware psychotherapist, Caroline Hickman, has developed the following scale.

“Eco-Anxiety: Range of Feelings

• Mild — feelings of upset are transient and can respond to reassurance, focus on optimism and hope in others (maybe ungrounded)
• Medium — upset more frequently, doubt in others’ capacity to take action, making some changes in lifestyle
• Significant — minimal defenses against anxiety, harder to mitigate distress, guilt, and shame, little faith in others to take action, significant impact on relationships
•  Severe — intrusive thoughts, sleep affected, struggle to get any respite, anticipation of human extinction, no belief in others’ ability to care, may be unable to work, suicidal. Loss of personal security.” (Wray, 2021)

Create Connection

     Anxiety disorders can be argued to be a disconnection from culture and nature. As practitioners, we need to nurture and cultivate a mindset that humans are a part of nature. Practitioners can encourage their clients to create a climate identity connected to their local community. It has also been called “re-earthing,” a strengthening of the connection between the earth and individuals. If we can shift the standard thinking of humans as being a part of nature by creating a space for our clients to have a relationship with their natural environment, we can set the stage for other healing modalities.

     Including traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can give clients a worldview that can expand one’s understanding of person-in-environment connection to the landscape, including their responsibility. This, in turn, connects clients to local issues and resources. Connecting to indigenous culture can help build and create social capital, a social economy that is based on seed banking, mutual aid, trade, and co-ops. Creating a connection to the land creates an urgency to protect it and not fear it.

     Practitioners can hold group sessions for people experiencing eco-grief and anxiety. Making space for people to talk about their complex feelings around the grief and anxiety of climate change can allow for people to not feel alone or disenfranchised. According to social worker Brené Brown, “Connection is why we are here.”

Nature Therapy

     Moving away from a traditional approach to therapy, we can refer clients to a nature therapist or incorporate nature therapy into the social worker’s practice. Nature therapy, according to practitioner and social worker Blake Ellis, “...is a relational practice that supports the health and wellness of participants through immersive experiences in nature aimed at cultivating healthy relationships with the more-than-human world. It offers a journey towards wholeness and provides many psychological and emotional benefits.”

     In essence, nature therapy engages a person's senses in nature, providing opportunities to slow down and reap the health benefits of being immersed in nature. Science has shown that being in nature can alleviate depression and anxiety, regulate blood pressure, and reduce cortisol and adrenaline. One way a social worker can incorporate nature therapy into practice is to have a session with a client in the outdoors amongst plants and trees. Have a walk in the park while doing therapy with a client.

Narrative Therapy

     Using narrative therapy for clients experiencing eco-anxiety or depression can help widen a person’s view on a situation and create alternative stories to the “problems” in the client’s life. This type of therapy can help clients find their voice and give them hope.  Assisting clients in creating metaphors for their personal journeys in the landscape of climate change can be empowering and an act of social justice.

Build Hope

     Getting involved in local or global efforts to fight climate change gives opportunities to build hope. Encourage clients to seek out opportunities to connect with other people who are having similar mental health issues over our changing climate. Social activism and political involvement can generate opportunities for connection and provide the possibility of real-world change, which all leads to hope for our future.

References

Ferreira, R. J. (2020). Climate change, resilience, and trauma: Course of action through research, policy, and practice. Traumatology, 26(3), 246–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000282

Hayes, K., Blashki, G., Wiseman, J., Burke, S., & Reifels, L. (2018). Climate change and mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6

Wray, B. (2021, June 9). Recap: Why activism isn’t really the cure for eco anxiety and eco grief. GenDread. https://gendread.substack.com/p/recap-why-activism-isnt-really-the?s=r

Erinn Bromley is an MSW student at California State University, Chico. She hopes to one day become an LCSW. She has worked with homeless youth for three years as a case manager, advocate, and currently as a clinical intern at 6 Street Center for Youth in Chico, California.