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Recent surveys have indicated high levels of distress amongst children and young people in relation to the climate and environmental emergencies. Whilst terms such as 'climate anxiety' and 'eco-distress' have been helpful terms for many, there is a risk that a focus on individuals' anxiety risks locating the problem in the young person, rather than in the failure of powerful adults to act to safeguard young people's futures.This seminar will outline how the Power Threat Meaning Framework might offer a useful way of making sense of young people's distress in ways that support attending to context and relationships. Attendees will be introduced to the basic principles of the Framework and how this can map onto some of the experiences of children and young people. The seminar will end with some discussion on the implications for supporting children and young people's wellbeing. The online event will include a presentation, use of breakout rooms and opportunities to ask questions.The presenters might be offering an online support group for young adults based on some of the seminar content. We hope young people interested in accessing support for climate distress might be interested in attending this seminar to explore if they would like to access such a group.

Our Speakers:

Gareth Morgan: I am a clinical psychologist and Youth Coordinator for Climate Psychology Alliance. I also work as a clinical tutor on the University’s Clinical Psychology Doctorate training. After working through some of my own overwhelming feelings about the climate emergency, I started aligning my psychology career with supporting others to navigate the difficult emotions we need to engage in to face our planetary emergencies. I am a believer in the importance of collective responses to help reduce feelings of isolation and encourage hope.

Georgie Ramsay: Georgie is a clinical psychologist who trained at Leicester and works for Leicestershire NHS Partnership Trust. Georgie will be co-facilitating the group as a member of Climate Psychology Alliance. Georgie is passionate about supporting non-pathologising understandings of climate distress and recently completed her thesis on understanding activists’ distress through the lens of the Power Threat Meaning Framework, one of the tools we will be utilising in the group.

Cost:This event is free for CPA members and young people aged 18-25 years-old. There is a £10 fee for other attendees (found in the "General Admission" ticket type), with all monies going to support youth work in CPA.