This story is part of Fix’s What’s Next Issue, which looks ahead to the ideas and innovations that will shape the climate conversation in 2022, and asks what it means to have hope now. Check out the full issue here.
In psychologist Leslie Davenport’s vision of the future, every environmental organization will employ a psychologist to help employees shoulder the emotional weight of their work. “There would be this chill room where people could go when they just want to debrief, talk to somebody, or meditate,” says Davenport, who works in both Tacoma, Washington, and the San Francisco Bay Area. “To have [therapy] built into the work culture would be amazing.”
As for the rest of us, she wants her colleagues to recognize that climate change is wearing on the collective psyche — and to know that they have a crucial role to play as we all adapt to a changing world.
Davenport, who’s been a clinician for three decades, has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to something she calls climate-informed therapy. She’s helped clients of all ages cope with eco-... Read more
