Online Short-Course: Climate Change and Mental Health

Climate Change and Mental Health - Essential Skills for Mental Health and Primary Care Providers

This 3-session online short course is intended for mental health and primary care providers from anywhere in the world to develop actionable knowledge and skills to enable them to provide psychiatric and psychological treatment and therapeutic support for patients in the context of climate change.

Over three 1.5-hour live online sessions, the class will work through three problem-based learning (PBL) clinical cases together. Each class will begin with a brief presentation from the course instructors, which will be followed by breaking out into PBL teams facilitated by the instructors.

The PBL cases will address 1) biological and pharmacological considerations, such as ambient temperature and airborne pollutants and their effects on mental health; 2) psychotherapeutic considerations for patients struggling in the aftermath of natural disasters or with existential climate distress; and 3) practical sustainable action and advocacy in which mental health and primary care providers can engage to address the root causes of climate change and their own climate distress.

Following completion of the program, participants will be able to:

Explain how climate change affects mental health and its treatment
Address the emotional impacts of the climate change crisis and related disasters with appropriate therapies
Explore the role of mental health and primary care providers in preventing and mitigating climate impacts and promoting resilience

Who is the program for?

Mental Health Professionals: Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists, psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioners, nurse psychotherapists, pastoral counselors, and more.
Primary Care Providers: Primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and others.
US-based and Global Learners: The short course is fully online so global learners who can attend all three live sessions may enroll.

The Instructors

Laelia Benoit, MD, PhD
Clinical Fellow, Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Benoit, a French and Brazilian child and adolescent psychiatrist, joined the Yale Child Study Center in 2021 as a Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar. She researches the impact of climate change on the mental health of children and adolescents in the US, Brazil, and France. Dr. Benoit employs citizen research involving adolescents, parents, professionals, and family support groups. She teaches at Yale University, Universidade de São Paolo, and University of Paris, focusing on qualitative research methods and skills to support children's health and reduce healthcare inequities.
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Joshua R Wortzel, MD, MPhil, MS
Attending Psychiatrist, Institute of Living, Hartford Healthcare; Adjunct Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Wortzel completed his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Brown University and now serves young adults in an intensive outpatient program. He chairs the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Climate Change and Mental Health and co-chairs the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's Committee on Climate Change. He is also a fellow of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry think tank’s Climate and Mental Health Committee, part of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance steering committee, and a 2024-25 National Institute of Mental Health Climate and Health Scholar. His research focuses on the effects of heat on affective disorders and suicide in young people, and the mental health impact of climate change distress
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Program Details:

The deadline for registration is January 15, 2025. The cost for the program is $350 to be paid in full when registering. Space in the program is limited to 30 participants and filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register today to secure your spot!

The short-course meets online via Zoom for three 90-minute sessions on Wednesday, January 29, February 5, and February 12 from 8:00-9:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Those who meet attendance requirements will be awarded a certificate of participation when the program concludes. To be eligible for the certificate of participation, learners are expected to:

Attend and participate in all sessions
Review all readings and pre-course videos in advance of the weekly live session
Actively participate in the problem-based learning clinical case activities

Questions?

Please reach out to our team by emailing ccmh@yale.edu if you have any questions about the program or need help with the registration process.