Emotional Intelligence + Science-Backed Support

A climate coach is simply someone well-versed in the physical, mental, communal, and spiritual effects of climate change and the larger environmental crisis. We know the fear, sadness, confusion, and anger of being a person on this planet, at this time, because we feel it too. Our work is to help you chart your own way through. To be “your people” as you find the supportive and purposeful community that will be your people for good.

• What is really happening, how sure are we, and what can be/is being done about it?

• How much attention should I pay to climate clocks, countdowns, and deadlines?

• Should I be preparing for different scenarios, given the range of climate forecasts?

• How should I think about long-term decisions like investing, moving, or having kids?

• How do I relate to family/friends/co-workers who disbelieve or behave defensively?

• Where can I go just to feel scared or angry or sad with others, or even alone?

• Where do I fit in? What does learning, helping, or even basic safety look like for me?

Although there is no industry standard for coaches working in this space, we are fully qualified in and passionate about our primary professions, whether climate science or psychotherapy. If we invite new coaching into our practice, you can rest assured they will possess, at a minimum:

• A graduate degree in environmental science from an accredited university.

• Professional experience in the environmental sciences or a closely related field.

• Previous experience as a coach, counselor, or mentor.

  Or

• A graduate degree in therapy, counseling, or social work from an accredited university.

• Professional experience as a therapist, counselor, or social worker.

• Previous education or experience in environmental science or a closely related field.

Both psychotherapists and climate coaches can work with you to address climate or eco-anxiety, but coaching is not therapy. For most kinds of therapy, you are the only focus. You work to understand and heal your mental health, with a secondary focus on the various systems that influence your health—family, culture, and the state of the natural world, for example. With climate coaching, the systems are the focus—namely the state of the natural world and the human health hazards that state creates. The systems, not you, need healing. So the goal of climate coaching is to empower you to help heal the systems that harm us all.

If you need help with mental health challenges beyond climate or eco-anxiety, you’ll want to work with Rachyl, a Climate-Aware Therapist, who can offer additional support.

Absolutely. No law or regulation compels a climate coach to disclose client information. However, there are a few exceptions in cases other than one-one one coaching. If you decide to work with a coach who is also a Climate-Aware Therapist, and you want to work on more than climate-related issues, it will be considered psychotherapy rather than coaching, and may obligate your therapist to report certain admissions as required by law. Additionally, please note that we cannot guarantee confidentiality during any group sessions because we have no way of holding your fellow participants accountable for what they share. We do strongly urge the respect of all participants’ privacy during group work.

Yes! We offer virtual sessions, but love in-person work as well, especially outdoors when client privacy allows. If you live in Western North Carolina, reach out and we’ll cover this during our free intro call. When working with a Climate-Aware Therapist, confidentiality requirements are more stringent, and necessitate full privacy during sessions, making in-person appointments a bit more challenging, but still possible. We can be creative to get you the care you need.