Climate-grief and eco-anxiety groups

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage · LaUra Schmidt, Aimee Lewis Reau

What it is

Climate-grief and eco-anxiety groups are not a psychotherapy. They are peer-led or facilitated community groups in which people share feelings about the climate and ecological crisis. Two main forms exist. Climate cafés are informal, open, respectful and confidential gatherings that focus on…

Format

• The two group formats have different structures; the therapist-side work wraps around either.
• Matching and referral. Goals: choose a drop-in café, a listening circle, a closed 10-step group, a youth café, climate-aware individual therapy, or a combination. Move on when the client has chosen and knows what the group will and will not offer.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Facilitators complete GGN's live online training with the founders; the program page gives 36 hours and the FAQ gives 30 hours. Training covers holding space, managing tension, emotional intelligence, body awareness and in-depth study of each step.
• C. Climate café / Climate Café Listening Circle (CPA version)
• To host, CPA asks that you first attend a circle as a participant, then complete its training (7.5 hours over three sessions, closed cohorts of up to 16, covering climate psychology, facilitation skills, safe and fair spaces, setup online or in person, and the move from participant to facilitator); trained hosts join a peer community for support and buddying. Bringing a co-host is encouraged.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• gratitude used to silence grief ("I should just be grateful"); bypassing. Working: the client can feel both at once.
• someone leaving visibly distressed, or a last-minute disclosure. Working: people leave settled and know where help is.
• shame spirals, or defensiveness; keep it exploratory, not moralising. Working: more nuanced, less self-punishing views.
• your own grief or burnout; slipping into clinical interventions in a peer space. Working: you can hold the space and leave it.
• participants with mobility needs being excluded; weather turning. Working: everyone can take part safely and privacy is protected.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.