“The Climate Elephant: What Therapists Need to See" with Thomas Doherty

Thomas Doherty, a clinician who helped shape climate psychology joins Travis Heath from Portland to trace an unconventional path—from wilderness therapy and Greenpeace to the APA’s first Climate Change Task Force—and to map today’s “climate elephant.” They explore eco-anxiety as feeling, diagnosis, and social phenomenon; taking news breaks; the “upside down pyramid” of stress; a shifting “horizon of hope”; and action identities (Climate Detective, Champion, Survivor). Practical steps for therapists: identity work, adapt existing skills, then implement with congruence.