I have been a systemic family and relationship therapist for over 30 years now, an environmental activist for even longer, and part of the Joyality Collective through 2022. Over the years I’ve noticed in my clients a growing sense of unease with the way the world is heading. And ‘business as usual’ therapy was not helping my clients’ anxiety, depression and despair in regards to the state of the world.
I came to realise that we cannot maintain a sense of well-being if therapy just focuses on our personal lives in isolation and ignores the wider ecosystem that we live in.
Does a powerful feeling of hot-sad-pain well up in your body when you hear or see what is happening to our beautiful Earth?
Do you lie awake in bed with overwhelming thoughts about what will happen in the future for the younger generation…when you have been trying your best to leave them a better world?
Have you experienced the trauma of the climate crisis first hand with fires, floods, and droughts?
You are not alone. You are one of the many brave souls who dare to stay connected with the reality of the climate crisis and environmental destruction.
You are feeling our collective humanity’s and Earth’s pain and responding in an understandable, compassionate and emotionally healthy way by experiencing these deep feelings.
Sometimes these feelings can just get “too much” and it’s time to reach out for professional support.
Ecotherapy, the type of therapy I now practise, understands that the strong emotional reactions we are feeling in response to the climate crisis are not a pathology to be cured. They are a healthy human response to be explored and harnessed as a positive energy to connect with nature and help heal our ecosystems.
We are excited to announce that as part of the Joyality Collective and a registered psychologist, I am now offering individual therapy sessions with our Joyality community as well as facilitating group work.
* Therapy sessions with ecopsychologist Kylie Hitchman - online or in-person (Medicare rebates available in Australia)
All our Joyality courses, workshops and resources help keep you connected and awake without becoming overwhelmed, numb, or burnt-out. They also help you to support those you love who are experiencing the reality of climate change – your children, your family, your friends and community, your local environment – bushland, rivers, oceans, forests, mountains and all the beings that depend on these ecosystems for life.
Now, qualified members of the Joyality Collective will also be offering individual ecotherapy sessions worldwide via Zoom and face-to-face in some places in Australia.
We offer you a confidential individual space for deep sharing and connecting with nature to nourish your well-being and renew your resilience during these challenging times. To face the unknowns with courage and an active hope.
Ecotherapy for climate related distress helps you stay grounded and gain skills to be with your emotional responses to our uncertain world by deepening a connection with yourself and nature.