2 Hours / 2 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Mental Health & Well-Being in the Climate Crisis: A Conversation for Counselors is presented by Debbie Crawford Sturm, PhD, LPC.

The climate crisis is predicted to have a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, with our most vulnerable neighbors being at an elevated risk. This impact includes depression, anxiety, PTSD and pre-traumatic stress, fear, eco-grief, irritability, anger, violence, and loneliness, as well as disease spread, heatstroke, lung disease, heart disease, suicidal ideation, and premature death. The effects of climate change on community mental health and well-being are already taking place globally and locally. As counselors, we have an opportunity to bring our understanding of trauma, vulnerability, and resilience to work with clients and to support climate resilience efforts in our communities.

This program provides an opportunity to examine how mental health, wellness, and climate change interact and how you can use your professional skills to mitigate the impact. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the inextricable connection between people and the environment, with consideration for our deep connection to place as well as experiences of empathy, eco-grief, and climate despair
  • 2 Describe the mental health impact of the increasing climate crisis with considerations for the wellness of individuals, families and communities
  • 3 Describe the social justice, environmental justice, climate justice impact on vulnerable populations, migration, and community resilience as well as examine the roles counselors can play to enhance resiliency within communities

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for counselors, therapists, and mental health professionals who want to deepen their understanding of the mental health impacts of the climate crisis and learn effective strategies to support resilience in individuals and communities. It is particularly relevant for those supporting people affected by climate-related stress, trauma, natural disasters, or environmental stressors, and for practitioners interested in trauma-informed and resilience-building approaches related to climate issues.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Counselors
    • Therapists
    • Social Workers
    • Psychologists
    • Case Managers
    • Crisis Intervention Specialists
    • Community Support Workers

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience engaging with the intersection of climate change and mental health.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to the topic of climate change and mental health, seeking foundational knowledge about the connections between environmental issues and psychological well-being.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some familiarity with climate-related mental health impacts and are looking to deepen their understanding of trauma, vulnerability, and resilience in the context of climate change, as well as explore their role in supporting affected individuals and communities.

  • Practice Setting

    Practitioners operate in client-centered, trauma-informed environments that address climate-related stress, disaster exposure, displacement, and environmental health stressors while fostering individual and community resilience.

    Work occurs across outpatient, community, school, hospital, and field-based contexts, often incorporating integrated care and telehealth to reach vulnerable populations.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Community mental health clinics and outpatient counseling centers
    • Private practice (in-person and telehealth)
    • Hospital behavioral health units and emergency departments
    • School and campus counseling services
    • Disaster response and crisis intervention teams
    • Public health departments and community resilience programs
    • Nonprofit/NGO community organizations
    • Shelters and transitional housing programs
    • Integrated primary care/behavioral health clinics
    • Tribal, rural, and refugee health services
Presented By

Debbie Crawford Sturm, PhD, LPC

Dr. Debbie Sturm is a 2008 graduate of UNC-Charlotte's Counselor Education program, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Professor at James Madison University, and contributing faculty for Walden University. Her clinical specialties include trauma, community violence, family systems, and nature-connectedness. She has graduate coursework, training, and teaching in environmental advocacy, environmental education, climate resilience efforts, environmental justice, and communication strategies. She is a member of ACA’s Climate Crisis Task Force and Human Rights Committee. She is a Steering Committee Member and Press Liaison for the Climate Psychology Alliance. She received the 2013 SACES Award for Outstanding Teaching, the 2020 SACES Courtland Lee Social Justice Award, and the 2021 Counselors for Social Justice Climate Justice Award. She is a trained member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. In 2017, Dr. Sturm wrote the first article on climate and mental health to appear in ACA’s Counseling Today. Since then, she has published two book chapters and two encyclopedia entries on the impact of climate on mental health. She has produced a dozen (including in-press) peer-reviewed journal articles, delivered 18 conference presentations, and presented to nearly a half dozen state counseling associations on nature-connection, climate justice and climate-related issues.  She is deeply passionate about expanding this conversation among counselors across the country.

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.