Eco-Anxiety with Professor Susan Clayton

The Mindspace Podcast: Inspiring Wellbeing

“While optimism is certainly associated with individual well-being, it’s what allows us to take action. If you’re a pessimist, then why bother?”

In this episode, Dr. Joe speaks with Susan Clayton, Professor of Psychology and Chair of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster. Susan is a globally-recognized authority on the mental health impacts of climate change. She is the lead author of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) report on Mental Health and Our Changing Climate and a contributor to the upcoming report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She is also the author and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology and Identity and the Natural Environment. Her work focuses on the intersection of mental health, environmentalism, and social psychology.

In this episode, Dr. Joe and Professor Clayton explore:

• The basic scientific facts of climate change
  
• The mental health impacts of climate change, including eco-anxiety
  
• The economics and politics of climate change
  
• Recommendations for building resilience in the face of eco-anxiety
  
• The possibility of broad social and economic transformation to adapt to climate change
  

If you’d like some support in coping with your concerns about climate change, Mindspace can help. We are launching an eco-anxiety support group in January and we have a few psychologists who specialize in this area. Please visit mindspacewellbeing.com/eco-anxiety for more information.

For more information on eco-anxiety check out Dr. Joe’s article on the Mindspace blog and his interview on Radio-Canada.

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