Professionals ill-equipped to treat 'climate anxiety'

Nearly 46% of the 382 psychologists, school counselors, social workers, and other professionals in the field reported feeling unequipped to handle climate change issues in their practices. File picture

Mental health professionals have little idea how to deal with so-called “climate anxiety” among clients, new research suggests.

Although a relatively small sample size of 382 psychologists, school counselors, social workers, and other professionals in the field was surveyed for a study published in the Journal of Humanistic Counseling of the American Counseling Association, it found that the relatively new phenomenon could prove problematic to treat.

Climate anxiety is loosely described as despairing of the future related to environmental and biodiversity collapse.

The study found that just 5% of the participants reported being trained to address climate change with clients, and only 9% said they had educational resources to help clients cope with climate-related issues.

Nearly 46% reported feeling unequipped to handle climate change issues in their practices, the team led by counseling educator Dr Ryan Reese of Oregon State University-Cascades said.

The results show that mental healthcare fields may need to provide professionals with more educational resources around climate change, while also addressing counsellors’ own awareness and attitudes about climate issues, the team concluded.

Climate anxiety has come to the public consciousness in the past five years, driven in large part by young people worried about the future. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has spoken openly about her own issues with it.

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