FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2024

Office of Sustainability Partners with Full Life Counseling, Office of Human Rights and Department of Human Services to Host Workshop on Climate Anxiety and Resilience

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – In partnership with the Department of Human Services, Office of Human Rights, and Full Life Counseling, the Office of Sustainability will host a workshop open to the public entitled “Engaging Our Climate Emotions: A Dialogue for Connecting Community”.  

Facilitated by practitioners from Full Life Counseling, the event will create a space for community members and City staff to engage in meaningful conversation about the many climate-related emotions people may be experiencing. With heatwaves and hurricanes in the news and impacting our region, it’s hard not to feel increasingly concerned or anxious about the changing climate and its many ripple effects.  

Using a process-based group therapy model, mental health practitioners from Full Life Counseling will facilitate an open dialogue, empowering participants to build trust, resilience, and community connection while confronting their experiences of climate distress. This workshop will create a supportive space to process challenging emotions—like anxiety, fear, anger, grief, and guilt—all forms of climate distress, and discuss ways to channel and cope with those emotions by building personal and communal resilience. Participants will engage in guided discussions to confront their feelings related to climate realities, strengthen their capacity to participate in local action, and build skills to identify, address, and avoid emotional burnout.  

Join the discussion on Thursday, October 24th from 5:30 to 7 PM at CitySpace! Register HERE (link)!

Media Contact
Gabriel Sherzada
Climate Program Specialist
City of Charlottesville
434-962-3843
sherzadag@charlottesville.gov