Introducing Climate Psychology: facing the climate crisis

This free course introduces the emerging field of Climate Psychology. It is now widely accepted that facts about climate change, taken alone, do not promote change. There is growing recognition that deeper psychological perspectives, beyond traditional psychological approaches, could enrich environment movements. Additionally, evidence is building that climate change can lead to negative consequences for mental health and wellbeing. Taking a critical eco-psycho-social perspective you will explore ideas from social theory, psychoanalysis, ecopsychology, eco-feminism and post-humanism to gain a deeper understanding of the climate and ecological crisis, its impact on our wellbeing and how to build psychological resilience. This course is endorsed and supported by the Climate Psychology Alliance.Interested in taking your learning further? You might find it helpful to explore the Open University’s Psychology courses and qualifications.

• Week 1: The climate and ecological crisis and how we got here
• Week 2: Engaging with the climate and ecological crisis: indifference, distress and beyond
• Week 3: Engaging with the climate and ecological crisis: denialism and other challenges
• Week 4: Living with the climate and ecological crisis