Growing up in Putney, Vermont, Sadie Forsythe loved that every winter brought a foot or two of snow.

“We didn’t see the ground for months,” said Forsythe, an Amherst-based therapist whose certification includes climate psychology, a discipline that helps to address eco-grief.  

Eco-grief refers to profound sadness, anxiety and despair related to witnessing or learning about environmental destruction, climate change impacts and the loss of ecosystems, species and landscapes. One of the ways Forsythe offers her services is through climate cafes.

“They’re structured, one-off opportunities held at places like local libraries or environmental centers,” she said. “They’re led by two facilitators and require no commitment for participants beyond the two-hour session.”

Those who attend often report feeling more connected, but Forsythe noted that, “all therapy can feel worse before it feels better, because you’re digging into hard stuff. Yet it can help you metabolize (feelings) and think differently.” 

Forsythe’s interest in the work came out of her own grief in relocating here from Atlanta in 2022.

“I thought coming back would feel familiar, but it doesn’t,” said Forsythe, 42. “When I was a kid, our school system designated Fridays as winter sports days. We would ski, or skate on frozen ponds, something my 10-year-old daughter has never done. Snow days were a joy: school was closed and we spent the day sledding. Now the ski hill I grew up near is closed; it just looks muddy.”

Climate cafe facilitators pass around a basket of nature objects to prompt participants in offering introductions.

“Seeds can represent the regeneration of life,” said Forsythe. “Fossils are emblematic of life’s transitions.”

She noted that many people say they need to talk about (eco-grief) but aren’t doing so in their families and workplaces. “There are cultural barriers to talking about hard things,” she said. “People worry about burdening their spouse or grandchild or whoever they’re trying to protect from difficult feelings.”

Many participants are parents or grandparents. “So far, we’ve only done adult groups,” she said, “but I’ve been invited to facilitate a group at a local private high school.” Forsythe noted that, for those concerned about environmental issues, winter holidays can be challenging: “How do we balance our concerns with commercialism? This time of year can amplify our disconnection from the land, which leads to malaise.”

One response to climate despair is “deepening our connection to nature, and savoring it. The more we invest and connect, the more energy we’ll have to respond.”

Clients arrive in Forsythe’s office with varying concerns, “but (eco-grief) comes up for nearly everyone,” she said. “Concerns about weather, droughts and floods can be tucked into worries like affordability and relationship strain.”

Forsythe’s aim is to help people name their thoughts and feelings. “Saying it out loud can help us feel less constricted,” she said. “But it looks different for different people: one person might want to process how to sustain climate organizing work, while another might want to address the frustration that can arise within families when people don’t agree, and especially how to navigate that at holidays.”

For some, there’s the question of whether to have children, or how to support and protect children they already have.

“It’s important to acknowledge that climate crises impact marginalized people the most,” said Forsythe. “We’re all on this planet, but farmers, for instance, are among the first and most heavily impacted. Suicide rates among farmers have gone way up.” She also cited increasing patterns of climate migrations.

“We need to examine what leads people to leave their home countries?” she said, adding, “The most significantly impacted regions are generally not the source of problems. We’re all impacted, but some more than others.”

Unfortunately, some words have become dog whistles in some circles. For that reason, activists and therapists are starting to use terms like “dangerous weather” instead of “climate change.”

Forsythe said that anyone who’s paying attention will notice that the planet is undergoing changing weather patterns. “It’s a common response to push against challenging ideas,” she said, “especially when we’re not personally impacted … yet.”

And it’s a misconception to regard New England as safer than other places: “We live in one of the fastest warming places on the planet. Ocean temperatures are shifting, warming our coast. In that regard, we’re second only to the Alaskan Arctic.”

Many regions are now affected: “We hear about summer camps needing to change their programming due to heat and smoke,” said Forsythe. Another challenge is that humanity is experiencing polycrisis, meaning many crises all at once. “This can make it hard to talk about.”

One good strategy, said Forsythe, is to “be aware of  the onslaught of crises in our pockets (meaning, cell phones). Be an intentional news consumer. Ask yourself: where do I get my news, for how long, what can I do after listening to the news? Know how to toggle in and out, because it’s easy to become numb.” 

As a licensed therapist for more than 10 years, Forsythe has worked in university counseling centers as well as in private practice. She currently serves as the chair of climate cafe programs for the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, and encourages those who are interested in more information to check out https://www.climatepsychology.us/101

Forsythe mentioned “meaning-making” as a path to healing. “It’s good to notice the moment we’re in and the time we have. We can hold our concerns alongside the need to make dinner, have time with our kids, and walk in the woods. We need to integrate, to shift what we imagine for the future. What we considered normal — especially those of us with privilege and stability — is now shifting to uncertainty and grief because the future we envisioned may not be possible.”

Some may feel intense anger toward financial institutions and corporations for being part of the problem, but each person must find their way.

“Can we opt out of the system we’re in? There’s moral injury in knowing we’re partaking in a system that’s not good for people or the planet,” said Forsythe. “But there are always things we can do, like sustaining local communities, carpooling and other approaches. And for me, it always comes back to getting outside.”

That goes a long way toward feeling, healing and giving us the courage to take action. 


Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope” and can be contacted at eveline@amandlachorus.org