Keynote Speaker: Rebecca Watson, JD, LCSW (Climate Psychology Alliance of North America)
Moderator: Christopher Weatherly, PhD, LCSW (University of Georgia)
In this keynote address for the School of Social Work, Rebecca Weston will speak about the field of Climate Psychology and the vital role social workers can play in addressing the profound and intersecting challenges of our time. Recognizing that the word “climate” itself is coded and freighted with emotion and risk, Rebecca will address the challenge of naming. Framing our role as “witnesses,” and placing the climate crisis in the context of an overlapping array of existential threats, Rebecca will also speak on the very specific mental health impacts of extreme weather and the complex ways in which individuals, groups, communities and societies manage exceptionally hard feelings about climate change. She will then explore the spiral of silence and what it means to turn “anxiety into action.” Referencing both the dangerous rise of authoritarianism and the hopeful emergence of a collective, democratic response, Rebecca will conclude with a perspective on finding meaning, the power of our voice and an approach to activism that is both sustainable and hopeful.