Webinar 59 – Climate Change and Mental Health

Webinar 59 – Climate Change and Mental Health

Black Dog Institute Webinar

Sydney, NSW

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

24 May 2023

Black Dog Institute

Organizer

Black Dog Institute
Phone
(02) 9382 4530
Email
blackdog@blackdog.org.au
Website
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

Climate change is a major global existential challenge which provokes intense feeling in many people. In most cases, concerns about climate change are a rational response to the problem and may lead to positive adaptation, but some people experience significant mental distress. This webinar will explore the range of emotional responses to awareness of climate change and how they may impact mental health. Key aspects of assessment and response to climate distress will be discussed, with reference to emerging evidence and existing psychotherapeutic models.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe the range of common emotional responses to climate change.
  • Demonstrate an approach to assessment of concerns about climate change.
  • Outline key therapeutic interventions for climate distress.
  • Make use of existing resources to support people with climate distress.

Presenter: Dr Phoebe Holdenson-Kimura

Phoebe is a GP working in Sydney who is passionate about promoting mental wellbeing and supporting GPs who have a special interest in Mental Health. With recent experience working in rural Far North Queensland and Cambodia, she is interested in rural and global perspectives on mental health.

Presenter: Anna Seth

Anna is a GP working in Tasmania with an interest in mental health and climate change. She is a passionate advocate of the role of primary care in a climate-resilient mental healthcare system. She is the co-chair of Doctors for the Environment Australia Mental Health Specific Interest Group and a Climate Aware Practitioner with Psychology for a Safe Climate.

Presenter: Brenda Dobia

Brenda Dobia is a psychologist, educator, and researcher who works with young people to find ways to shape a more just, equitable, and livable future. She is an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Education at Western Sydney University, a clinical practitioner at Headspace, and an active member of Psychology for a Safe Climate and the Climate Psychology Alliance.

Presenter: Chloe Watfern (PhD)

Chloe Watfern is a transdisciplinary researcher who has presented, published, and led creative workshops informed and catalysed by her own experience of climate distress. She is a research associate at the Black Dog Institute and the Consumer and Community Involvement and Knowledge Translation Strategic Platform of Maridulu Budyari Gumal SPHERE.

This webinar is designed for GPs, GP registrars, psychologists, and allied mental health practitioners, or any other health professional with an interest in improving outcomes for patients with mental health conditions.