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Symposium

Conflict, Disasters, and Trauma- and Stressor-related Disorders
Symposium

Symposium 12 - Psychology in a Changing Climate: Preparing Clinical Practice for Emerging Mental Health Needs

Thursday, June 25, 2026
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM PDT
Location: Yerba Buena Salon 13, B3 Level
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Climate Change, Service Delivery, Vulnerable Populations
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Lawrance, E.L., Massazza, A., Pantelidou, I. et al. Connecting Climate Minds: a shared vision for the climate change and mental health field. Nat. Mental Health 2, 121–125 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00196-9

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-023-00196-9#citeas,   Hayes, K., Blashki, G., Wiseman, J. et al. Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions. Int J Ment Health Syst 12, 28 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0210-6,   Charlson, F., Ali, S., Benmarhnia, T., Pearl, M., Massazza, A., Augustinavicius, J., & Scott, J. G. (2021). Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4486. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094486,   Connecting Climate Minds Lived Experiences

https://hub.connectingclimateminds.org/en/lived-experiences,   Global Research Agenda

https://hub.connectingclimateminds.org/en/research-and-action/global-agenda

Climate change is rapidly reshaping the landscape of mental health risk, demand, and care. Across populations and across the lifespan, climate-related stressors—including acute disasters, chronic environmental degradation, and anticipatory climate distress—are contributing to rising psychological burden. Yet existing mental health systems are poorly positioned to respond at the scale, speed, and duration required. Structural barriers such as cost, access, stigma, and workforce limitations mean that most individuals experiencing climate-related mental health impacts will not receive timely or adequate support. This gap between need and care is widening as climate impacts accelerate.

This symposium presents an integrated clinical synthesis of emerging evidence, global insights, neuropsychological perspectives, and scalable intervention approaches to argue for a necessary change in mental health practice in a changing climate. Collectively, the presentations demonstrate that climate-related psychological distress is not a marginal or future concern, but a present and growing determinant of mental health outcomes, service demand, and clinical complexity. Evidence highlights both direct impacts (e.g., trauma, stress, and cognitive effects following climate events) and indirect pathways (e.g., eco-anxiety, grief, and moral distress), as well as the uneven distribution of burden across age groups, cultures, and communities.

The symposium further underscores the need for clinical models that extend beyond traditional one-to-one care. Digital mental health tools, population-level psycho-education, and community-based supports are presented as essential complements to existing services, with the potential to expand reach, reduce inequities, and support recovery and adaptation in climate-affected contexts. Together, these contributions make a compelling case that psychology must adapt—conceptually, clinically, and structurally—to remain effective in a changing climate. Preparing the discipline will require integrating climate literacy into training, developing climate-responsive therapeutic frameworks, and embracing innovative delivery models capable of meeting emerging mental health needs at population scale.

Learning Objectives:

  • Increase clinician literacy on the scale, urgency, and expected growth of climate-related mental health impacts.
  • Strengthen clinicians’ ability to conceptualise climate-related distress within existing psychological frameworks.
  • Increase clinician readiness to adapt therapeutic approaches and service models for climate-related mental health needs.

Presentations:

  • 11:35 AM - 11:52 AM PDT
    (SYM 12) Anxious for Change: Meta-analysis of Climate Emotion and Pro-environmental Action Associations

    Speaker: Jack B. Boyse, B.A. (he/him/his) – The University of Sydney

    Co-Author: Louise Sharpe, Ph.D. – University of Sydney

    Co-Author: Eliza-Rose Gordon, B.A. (she/her/hers) – The University of Sydney

    Co-Author: Rachel Menzies, M.C.P, PhD. (she/her/hers) – The University of Sydney

  • 11:52 AM - 12:09 PM PDT
    (SYM 12) Neurobiological Pathways Linking Climate Change and Mental Health

    Speaker: Robin Cooper, M.D.

  • 12:26 PM - 12:43 PM PDT
    (SYM 12) Harnessing Technology to Address the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change and Disasters at Scale

    Speaker: Adrienne Heinz, Ph.D. – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

    Co-Author: Sarah Senti, Ph.D. – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

    Co-Author: Jason Owen, Ph.D., MPH – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

    Co-Author: Margaret Mackintosh, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – VA National Center for PTSD

    Co-Author: Cody Boland, Ph.D. – VA

    Co-Author: Tanisha Thelemaque, Ph.D. – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

    Co-Author: Kelly Ramsey, BA – National Center for PTSD - Dissemination and Training Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System

    Co-Author: Katie Taylor, Psy.D., MPH – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

    Co-Author: Colleen Becket-Davenport, Ph.D. – VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University

  • 12:43 PM - 1:00 PM PDT
    (SYM 12) Climate Therapy Interventions and Intervention Research

    Speaker: Jeremy Bekker, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Portland Psychotherapy

    Co-Author: Jeremy Bekker, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Portland Psychotherapy

    Co-Author: Thomas Doherty, Psy.D (he/him/his) – Self Sustain