Responding to Climate Change:

Sustainable Approaches in Mental Health Care

Date: Wednesday 5th May 2027  

Facilitators: Ciara McCabe, Emma-Jayne Conway and Hasnain Younis

Duration:

Option 1: 09:30 am – 12:30pm (equivalent to 2.75 hours CPD)  

Option 2 (exclusive to CBT-based clinicians): 09:30 am – 16:30 pm equivalent to 2.75 hours CPD)

Fees Option 1:

£55 Standard Price

£49.50 Alumni discount 10%*

Fees Option 2:

£95 full day

£85.50 Alumni discount 10%*

Training overview:

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, with growing evidence of its impact on mental health and wellbeing. As experiences of eco-distress, eco-anxiety, and climate grief become increasingly common, mental health practitioners are being called upon to understand and respond to these emerging concerns in clinical practice. 

This pioneering CPD event provides an opportunity to explore the intersection between climate change and mental health, equipping practitioners with the knowledge and confidence to recognise and support climate-related distress. The morning session offers an accessible introduction for anyone with an interest in sustainability and mental health, examining the psychological impact of the climate crisis and its implications for services and communities. 

The afternoon session is designed for clinicians seeking a deeper understanding of how to work therapeutically with eco-distress. Drawing on CBT principles and evidence-informed practice, participants will explore practical approaches to assessment, formulation, and intervention, developing skills to support individuals experiencing climate-related anxiety, grief, and uncertainty. 

Through expert-led discussion, reflection, and practical learning, this event will help attendees build their understanding of an increasingly important area of practice and consider how mental health services can respond effectively to the challenges of a changing world. 

Suitable For: The morning session is open to anyone with an interest in climate change, sustainability, and mental health. The full-day event is designed specifically for CBT-based clinicians, including low-intensity and high-intensity practitioners and CBT counsellors working across adult and children and young people’s (CYP) services. 

Learning outcomes: 

AM 

  • Describe eco-distress, eco anxiety and climate grief 
  • Understand the psychological impacts of climate change on mental health  
  • Explore the value of sustainable as a tool to support interpersonal change  
  • Describe and Understand of common cognition and behaviours that are associated with eco distress. 
  • Exploring at risk population effecting on climate change 
  • Develop practical skills to contribute to tackling climate change on a interpersonal level 

PM 

  • Explore how eco-distress, eco anxiety and climate grief align with clinical anxiety disorders (e.g., anticipatory anxiety, chronic stress and direct trauma, i.e. extreme weather). 
  • Consider the role of hope in maintenance and overcoming eco-related distress 
  • Understand challenges: Support clients to become suitability mindful without feeding into safety behaviours.  
  • Apply relevant CBT frameworks to understand eco-distress. 
  • Practice strategy-based intervention to for supporting clients experiencing eco-distress  
  • Exploring suitability through interpersonal and intrapersonal lens.  
  • Reflect on professional role and the ethical consider we have as a practitioner to address climate related distress 

Platform: Microsoft Teams

Book Responding to Climate Change at Standard Price

Book Responding to Climate Change with Alumni Discount*

Facilitators:

Professor Ciara McCabe

Professor Ciara McCabe profile pictureProfessor McCabe leads the Neuroscience of Reward Group (NRG) at the University of Reading. Her research uses behavioural and neuroimaging techniques to understand how the brain processes reward and how this relates to mental health, particularly in adolescence.

Following research positions at Wake Forest University and the University of Oxford, Ciara established NRG to investigate reward processing in mental health and treatment. Her work also explored the effects of hormones and climate change on mental health, alongside industry collaborations examining how sensory and rewarding experiences shape consumer behaviour.

Emma-Jayne Conway

Emma-Jayne Conway profile pictureEmma-Jayne Conway is an experienced lecturer, supervisor and accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) with over 15 years of experience in primary and secondary care mental health services.
She is the Programme Director for the Adult Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) course and is also a Module Convenor on the Adult High Intensity CBT course within the Charlie Waller Institute, University of Reading.
Her professional interests include climate change and eco-distress, anxiety disorders, and relational pedagogy, and she is passionate about supporting the development of the next generation of psychological practitioners.

Hasnain Younis

Hasnain Younis profile pictureHasnain obtained a BSc Psychology from De Montfort University (Leicester) and an MSc Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience from Sheffield University.

Currently, Hasnain is an ESRC-SEDarc funded PhD student studying climate change anxiety, pro-environmental behaviour and climate action. This PhD is interdisciplinary in nature with supervisors Prof Ciara McCabe and Prof Ed Hawkins MBE (Meteorology).

Hasnain also has collaborative research experience with Dr Emma Lawrence and Jess Newberry Le Vay at the University of Oxford, working toward involving mental health in climate-resilient health systems and climate change education policy.

*An alumni discount is available to graduates of the Charlie Waller Institute, University of Reading who have completed a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s degree, or MSci programme.