Therapist Confidential

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

Therapist Confidential

Show Notes

Thomas Doherty, who has been at the forefront of climate psychology, joins Travis Heath 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). Doherty shares practical steps from identity work, and adapting existing skills, to implementing with congruence. Brought to you by Psychotherapy.net, the home of timeless and timely conversations in mental health.

The post “The Climate Elephant: What Therapists Need to See” with Thomas Doherty appeared first on Psychotherapy.net.

More from Therapist Confidential

Oct 21, 2026

What happens when the “text me” is better than the actual me?

Oct 14, 2026

“In a dimensional approach, no person is left behind … no two people fit in exactly the same place.”

Oct 7, 2026

Who are you, really, underneath everything else? In this solo, Travis Heath questions a common assumption in therapy and everyday life: that a true, authentic self is waiting beneath our cultural expectations, family influences, and insecurities to be uncovered.

Sep 30, 2026

What do you say when a stranger in line at Universal Studios taps you on the shoulder and announces, “We all have a bet going — what are you?” Derrick Paladino, professor of counseling and department chair at Rollins College, has spent decades turning that question into “me-search.”

Sep 23, 2026

What if the goals we chase are quietly working against us? In this solo episode, host Travis Heath admits something that feels almost taboo for a therapist to say out loud: he thinks goals are overrated. He unpacks why the clients and grad students he works with so often hit a wall of “what’s next?” right after reaching a long-sought goal, why “achievement culture” quietly raises the bar until yesterday’s dream becomes today’s minimum expectation, and why chasing “more” may be the most dangerous goal of all.

See all episodes →