The Climate Minds Coalition is a group of organisations representing practitioners working in and around mental health, who have united to collectively acknowledge and raise awareness of the mental health impacts of climate change to inform both practice and policy.

'Ecoanxiety' or 'ecodistress' are the terms coined to capture the concerning mental health response to witnessing the climate catastrophe unfurl. Acute psychological distress is a rational response to experiencing the destruction of the natural world and the existential threat that this poses to all life. This universal, unfathomable sense of loss is relatively unique to the climate crisis, due to the far-reaching (although unequal) impacts of a warming world.

BACP is a proud member of this coalition, working with other membership organisations such as UKCP and BPS – alongside representatives from the third sector, counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists – to raise awareness of the implications of ecoanxiety, and to ensure that those working to improve the nation’s mental health have the right training and expertise to address this growing mental health crisis. We’d also like to see parliamentarians be more informed about the implications of ecoanxiety on communities and services, to ensure that environmental and health policy in this arena is developed with mental health in mind.

We know that those who are already more systemically marginalised are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to complex intersecting, socioeconomic factors. Globally, those who have contributed least to the crisis are those whose lives will be most devastated by it. Effective and compassionate mental health support must encompass an understanding of how global inequalities are part and parcel of this crisis and how it is psychologically experienced.

Currently, there is little guidance for counsellors and psychotherapists on working with clients experiencing ecoanxiety; it’s important that this changes, given that there’s likely to be a major, society-wide increase in feelings of hopelessness about the future. Crucially, for people to stand up against the individuals and systems spurring climate change, we need communities whose mental health is resilient enough to push for change. The counselling and psychotherapy workforce can – and should - play a critical role in this network of support.

BACP recognises this shortfall; over the past few years, we’ve held events on working with clients whose mental health is being impacted by climate change, as well as having hosted podcasts, blogs and articles on the topic. However, we know that grasping and addressing the scale of this crisis and its mental health implications requires collaboration across sectors, proactivity, and compassion – alongside expanded and targeted training for mental health professionals.

We hope that through the coalition’s work, our memberships and networks will feel more confident in addressing the mental health impacts of the crisis. The Climate Minds Coalition has now launched a website, where we’ll share blogs from practitioners, resources for those working in the mental health space, and news about the campaign. If you wish to learn more about the coalition or to talk it through with one of our policy team, you can get in touch at: mia.edwards@bacp.co.uk.

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