Addressing Eco-

Anxiety in the
Bayou Region
By
Carol Teuton Benoit, PhD, LPC-S
Camille Moss, BS
Learning Objectives
 Eco-Anxiety: What is it?
Who has it?
How can we address it?

 Storyboarding Intervention
School Counselor and Environmental Educator
Partnerships:
Reducing Eco-Anxiety From Climate Change, Increasing
Self-Efficacy, and Enhancing Youth Advocacy

By Matthew L. Nice,
Kellie Forziat-Pytel,
Carol Benoit, and
Debbie C. Sturm

Professional School Counseling Journal (2022) Volume

26(1): p.1-11.
What are we seeing?
Fear and anxiety
What are we seeing?
Hopelessness
What are we seeing?
Conflicts
What we are seeing?
Stress
Eco-anxiety
An anxiety, or series of symptoms, specific to stress
that is caused by knowledge of negative
environmental events and/or knowledge of changes
in the environment that imply the possibility of
future negative environmental impacts
(Clayton et al., 2017 ; Usher et al., 2019)
Eco-Anxiety Symptoms
What does Eco-anxiety look like
clinically or in a school setting?
 Children  Middle Aged
 Adolescents  Older
 Young Adults  Seniors

Related Diagnoses:
Eco-anxiety is a
• PTSD
category of symptoms
• Phobias
that can be present
• Anxiety Disorders
within the context of
• Mood disorders
many diagnoses.
• Adjustment Disorder
Eco-Anxiety
Extreme Weather Events (Increased Frequency)

Insidious Threats Occurring Over Time:

 Changes in growing seasons

 Negative effects on harvest (including fishing, shrimping)
 Decreased land livability (land subsidence)
 Group conflicts (differing points of view)
 Stunted economic growth
 Cumulative educational losses

(Nice et al., 2022)

Outcomes of Eco-Anxiety
Economic hardship (repeated rebuilding, land loss, lack of economic growth)
Educational losses (missing schools, distraction, teachers distracted, etc.)
Stress on caregivers
Increased incidents of child and domestic abuse
Group conflicts
Gaps in medical care
PTSD
Depression
Phobias
Decreased academic achievement,
Cognitive deficits
Learning disabilities
Substance abuse

(Burke et al., 2018 ; Pfefferbaum et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2012 )

Research on
Resilience Building
 Spirituality and Religion: Meaning and purpose

 Community Building: strengthening existing

networks

 Self-efficacy: “I can do something about this.”

(Boullion et al., 2016; KC et al., 2019)

La Flood of 2016 Study by Boullion et
al., 2016
“Though individuals who survive natural hazards often
develop PTSD, some report experiencing positive
psychological growth.
This study suggests that presence of
meaning in life or search for meaning in life, social support,
and resilience are all associated with
increased posttraumatic growth. Thus, the incorporation of
empirically supported prevention and interventions that
encourage individuals to obtain a sense of meaning and build
social support networks following natural hazards may
alleviate the associated economic and health burden and
foster a variety of positive outcomes.”
Experiential Exercise
Storyboarding

 Innovative, think outside the box (Norris, 2017)

 Cultural sensitivity (Norris, 2017)

 Transdiciplinary (Boon & Van Baalen, 2019 )

Storyboarding Exercise
 Form groups of 3-8

 Choose an artist or take turns

Resilience
 Imagination as an inner resource(imagining a
different outcome, imagining a future self)
 Creative problem solving (focusing on
possibilities)
 Breaking down into attainable goals
 Meaning making
 Culturally based and promotes a sense of
collective strength
Build community networks
 Partnering within the community

 Focusing on what we have in common

 Recognize and honor differences

 Honoring Inclusivity

 Build on various strengths and talents

Questions, Comments
References:
 Boullion, G. Q., Pavlacic, J. M., Schulenberg, S. E., Buchanan, E. M., & Steger, M. F. (2020). Meaning, social
support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90(5), 578-585. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000464
 Burke, S. E., Sanson, A. V., & Van Hoorn, J. (2018). The psychological effects of climate change on children.
Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0896-9
 Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017).
Mental health and our changing climate: Impacts, implications,
and guidance. American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica.
https://ecoamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ea_
apa_mental_health_report_web.pdf
 Felix, E., Vernberg, E., Pfefferbaum, B., Pfefferbaum, R., Wind, L., Gurwitch, R., Pfefferbaum, B.,
Leftwich, M., North, C., Henley, B., & Jaycox, L. (2007). Promoting children's disaster recovery: Research and
practice. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e517322011-095
 KC, A., Gan, C. C., & Dwirahmadi, F. (2019). Breaking through barriers and building disaster mental resilience:
A case study in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. International Journal of Environmental Research
and Public Health, 16(16), 2964. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16162964
 Marriott, C., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., & Harrop, C. (2013). Factors promoting resilience following childhood
sexual abuse: A structured, narrative review of the literature. Child Abuse Review, 23(1), 17-34.
https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2258
References:
 Nice, M. L., Forziat-Pytel, K., Benoit, C., & Sturm, D. C. (2022). School counselor and
environmental educator partnerships: Reducing eco-anxiety from climate change,
increasing self-efficacy, and enhancing youth advocacy. Professional School
Counseling, 26(1), 2156759X2210905. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759x221090525
 Reese, R. F., Webster, L. C., & Biles, K. (2018). School counselor roles and
opportunities in promoting EcoWellness: Integrating nature connection in K–12 settings.
Professional School Counseling, 22(1), 2156759X1983965.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759x19839651
 Usher, K., Durkin, J., & Bhullar, N. (2019). Eco‐anxiety: How thinking about climate
change‐related environmental decline is affecting our mental health. International
Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 28(6), 1233-1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12673
 Xu, Z., Sheffield, P. E., Hu, W., Su, H., Yu, W., Qi, X., & Tong, S. (2012). Climate
change and children’s health—A call for research on what works to protect children.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9(9), 3298-3316.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9093298