The intersection of climate change and mental health

The CIRES DEI program and the Renée Crown Wellness Institute are co-hosting this seminar with Leslie Davenport, Climate Psychology Consultant. This virtual talk will cover the ways that climate change and mental health are inextricably connected, and learn tools for navigating climate-triggered distress. With more of us awakening to the reality of the climate crisis, and especially for those working in sustainability fields, our collective psyche is experiencing a huge emotional toll, with eco-anxiety and grief rising in tandem with climate impacts. Climate psychology helps us develop strategies to stay engaged in climate solutions without becoming overwhelmed or burned-out. But the intersection of climate and mental health is more than coping and building resilience. Climate Psychology also brings an understanding of complex human behavior, revealing how understanding and working with our evolutionary brain and cognitive biases can help leverage the full range of our human capacities in resolving the deep challenges of our times.

BIO: Leslie Davenport (she/her) works internationally as a climate psychology educator, consultant, and therapist working at the intersection of climate, education, policy, media, and social justice. She authored five books for both children and adults including All the Feelings Under the Sun through the American Psychological Association, and Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change. She is an advisor to the Post Carbon Institute, Project InsideOut, Climate Mental Health Network, and One Resilient Earth. She is the program and faculty lead for the Climate Psychology Certification training at the California Institute of Integral Studies. www.lesliedavenport.com.