Reimagining clinical psychology for a changing planet

Objectives
The interconnected climate and ecological emergencies (CEE) are driving irreversible planetary changes with profound consequences for physical and mental health. Clinical psychology holds valuable skills for mitigating and adapting to these impacts, yet the profession lacks a coherent vision for its role. This study aimed to generate such a vision.

Design
A qualitative design using individual and group story completion tasks explored imagined roles for clinical psychology in responding to the CEE.

Methods
Forty-nine practitioner psychologists and/or climate activists completed online story stems individually, and 28 participated in group-based story co-creation workshops. Thematic analysis was used to identify shared themes across individual and group narratives.

Results
Three overarching themes captured the imagined role of clinical psychology: (1) Acknowledgement—recognising the root causes of the CEE and associated emotional responses; (2) Engagement—supporting clients to engage with distress, rethinking mental health through nature-based and socially engaged perspectives and (3) Transformation—collaborating with communities, supporting climate activism, embracing political roles and fostering imagination.

Conclusions
The findings offer a theory-informed vision of psychological adaptation to ecological crisis. Clinical psychology can expand its remit to include climate-responsive roles spanning grief work, eco-therapy, activism and systems-level change. This novel application of story completion methodology surfaces imaginative but plausible directions for the profession in facing the CEE.