Climate Emotional Resilience Training

alias Thicket Training
Navigating our Emotional Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change

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Emotional resilience is one of the strongest predictors of long-term well-being. Studies in psychology and neuroscience show that resilience practices reduce burnout, protect mental health and increase our ability to act with creativity and compassion under pressure. Just as muscles strengthen with regular use, resilience grows through intentional practice, especially when rooted in relationships and community.

This training is designed as a space to practice these skills together, a space of belonging where these practices are nurtured and shared. By weaving contemplative exercises, nature connection and shared dialogue, we create conditions that support sustained presence and collective care. Together, we learn how to slow down, replenish and bring care to the places of fracture.

Building emotional resilience is not optional in times of global crisis; it is the foundation for effective service, community health and the possibility of a more livable future.

Climate Emotional Resilience Training

Next Cohort: March 13th - May 8th 2026

8 weeks - 4 modules

Five 120min zoom meetings on Fridays

2-4 hours of weekly asynchronous learning and practicing

10 CEs available for life sessions

Live-Meeting Time: 10-12pm PT/11-1pm MT/12-2pm CT/1-3pm ET

Live-Meeting Dates: 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/08 2026

Facilitators: Elizabeth Acuña Driscoll and  Eva Jahn
Pricing: $500-700 (scholarships available)

$75 for 10 CEs

Offerings

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  • Nature Journeys

    Embodied nature-based experiences will offer opportunities for connecting with the more-than-human world. To acknowledge beauty, to name our losses, to feel the earth and hear her songs.

  • Contemplative Practices

    A variety of approaches to contemplative practices will offer weekly guidance focusing on emotional regulation, compassion and nature connection.

  • Community

     Sharing your experiences with your cohort members in a discussion circle provides support and connection in a time when you may feel alone with your feelings towards climate change 

  • Supportive Resources

    Every module will offer a variety resources to support your journey of navigating emotional resilience. Informational and encouraging frameworks will provide perspectives, stories and connections to people who are on this path with you.

The Climate Emotional Resilience Training (alias “Thicket”) is an eight-week online experiential training program for mental health and medical providers, educators, activists, researchers, public servants, and others navigating the overlapping crises of our time. To sustain our service to others and our care for the Earth, we also need practices that strengthen our own resilience and deepen our presence.

We believe with Susi Moser that "Burnt-out people aren't equipped to serve a burning planet."

In ecology, thickets are places of refuge and regeneration, providing shelter in challenging conditions. Our Thicket arose from the work of two licensed psychotherapists, Eva Jahn and Elizabeth Acuña Driscoll, who recognized the mounting distress that the Polycrisis evokes in individuals and communities. This training integrates evidence-based practices from psychology, environmental research and wisdom traditions into a supportive cohort model designed to build self-regulation, emotional intelligence and sustained engagement with the more-than-human world.

Course Structure and Learning approach

Every module offers practices from our four experiential pillars of resilience: contemplative practices, nature connection, community support and curated resources. Together, these pillars support learning that is embodied, relational and practical. Participants will engage in:

  • Asynchronous learning (2–4 hours/week): short readings, videos, reflections, and nature-based practices that deepen self-awareness and applied skills.

  • Live cohort sessions (five 2-hour meetings): contemplative practices, didactic learning, dialogue, and guided experiential exercises (CEs available for the live sessions)

The training follows the four stages of the Work That Reconnects (Joanna Macy), moving from gratitude to honoring our emotional landscapes, opening new perspectives and cultivating purposeful action. By engaging these stages together, participants practice skills that expand resilience, foster clarity and support compassionate presence in both personal and professional settings.

Continuing Education Information

The Climate Emotional Resilience Training offers 10 Continuing Education (CE) credits for five 2 hour life sessions ($75 administrative cost.)

Skill level: Beginner to Advanced

CE-Classes.com is the provider of CEs

  • This training is designed for mental health providers such as psychologists, social workers, counselors, coaches, interns and counseling students, as well as educators, health professionals, researchers, public servants, and anyone looking for more emotional resilience in their lives.

    Teachings are appropriate for mental health, teaching, and healthcare professionals as well as the general public.

  • Live Session 1: Finding Our Ground (March 13th 2026, 11am-1pm MT - 2.0 CE Hours)

    11am - 11:25am Welcome and Orientation (25 minutes)
    Course overview, learning objectives, group agreements, and orientation to the 8-week training structure and learning platform

    11:25 - 11:35am Guided Contemplative Practice and Land Acknowledgment (10 minutes)

    Facilitated grounding practice to support emotional regulation and establish a shared learning context

    11:35am - 11:55pm Participant Introductions (20 minutes)
    Structured introductions to support cohort learning and psychological safety

    11:55am - 12:25pm Didactic Teaching Session 1 (30 minutes)
    Instruction on climate-related emotional distress, self-regulation, contemplative practice, gratitude and other foundational emotional resilience concepts

    12:25pm - 12:45pm Small Group Experiential Learning: Gratitude Practice (20 minutes)
    Facilitated breakout groups applying gratitude-based practices to support emotional regulation and well-being

    12:45-12:55pm Large Group Discussion and Integration (10 minutes)
    Facilitated group reflection, discussion, and conceptual integration of learning

    12:55pm-1pm Closing (5 minutes)

    Live Session 2: Inviting In (March 27th 2026, 11am-1pm MT - 2.0 CE Hours)

    11am-11:15am Guided Contemplative Practice (15 minutes)
    Facilitated grounding and emotional regulation practice

    11:15-11:30am Review and Integration of Prior Learning (15 minutes)
    Facilitated discussion reviewing Session 1 concepts and participant reflections

    11:30-12pm Didactic Teaching Session 2 (30 minutes)
    Instruction on climate anxiety, ecological grief, and emotional responses to environmental change, including differentiation between empathy and compassion and their relevance for relational presence and sustained climate engagement.

    12pm-12:30pm Small Group Experiential Learning: Structured Reflective Dialogue (30 minutes)
    Breakout groups using guided prompts to explore emotional awareness and relational presence

    12:30pm-12:50pm Large Group Discussion and Integration (20 minutes)
    Facilitated reflection and meaning-making related to course concepts

    12:50pm-1pm Session Summary and Closing Reflection (10minutes)

    Live Session 3 (April 10th 2026, 11am-1pm MT - 2.0 CE Hours)

    11am-11:15am Guided Contemplative Practice (15 minutes)
    Facilitated grounding and emotional regulation practice

    11:15-11:30am Review and Integration of Prior Learning (15 minutes)
    Facilitated discussion reviewing Session 2 concepts and participant reflections

    11:30-12pm Didactic Teaching Session 3 (30 minutes)
    Instruction on kin relationality as a relational practice of ecological belonging and Indigenous resilience as a place-based, relational, and self-determined capacity that informs ethical responses to environmental change.

    12pm -12:30pm Experiential Learning Activity and Small Group Application (30 minutes)

    Facilitated experiential activity using an ecological mapping exercise to explore kin relationality followed by small group reflection.

    12:30pm-12:50pm Large Group Discussion and Integration (20 minutes)
    Facilitated reflection and meaning-making related to course concepts

    12:50pm-1pm Session Summary and Closing Reflection (10minutes)

    Live Session 4 (April 24th 2026, 11am-1pm MT - 2.0 CE Hours)

    11am-11:15am Guided Contemplative Practice (15 minutes)
    Facilitated grounding and emotional regulation practice

    11:15-11:30am Review and Integration of Prior Learning (15 minutes)
    Facilitated discussion reviewing Session 3 concepts and participant reflections

    11:30-12pm Didactic Teaching Session 4 (30 minutes)
    Instruction on climate coloniality as a structural and historical condition shaping climate harm, alongside the core principles of critical climate justice praxis. Exploration of hope as a multifaceted psychological and ethical orientation that influences motivation, moral agency, and sustained climate engagement.

    12pm - 12:30pm Experiential Learning Activity and Small Group Application (30 minutes)

    Facilitated experiential activity exploring personal and collective strengths, purpose, and sources of joy in relation to climate engagement, followed by small group discussion examining how these factors support well-being, ethical action, and sustained participation in justice-oriented climate work.

    12:30pm-12:50pm Large Group Discussion and Integration (20 minutes)
    Facilitated reflection and meaning-making related to course concepts

    12:50pm-1pm Session Summary and Closing Reflection

    Live Session 5 (May 8th 2026, 11am-1pm MT - 2.0 CE Hours)

    11am-11:15am Guided Contemplative Practice (15 minutes)
    Facilitated grounding and emotional regulation practice

    11:15-11:30am Review and Integration of Prior Learning (15 minutes)
    Facilitated discussion reviewing Session 4 concepts and participant reflections

    11:30-12pm Didactic Teaching Session 5 (30 minutes)
    Instruction on understanding climate-related emotional distress and catastrophic thinking as meaningful psychological responses rather than symptoms to be eliminated, and on how group-based processing of eco-anxiety and radical imagination support movement from denial and withdrawal toward sustained, collective climate engagement.

    12pm - 12:50pm Facilitated Storytelling and Reflective Integration Activity (45 minutes)
    Structured narrative practice to to integrate course concepts, support meaning-making, and recognize radical imagination as a collective capacity for future-oriented engagement.

    12:50-1pm Session Summary and Closing Reflection (10 minutes)

  • This is a live, online, cohort-based training that combines didactic teaching, experiential practices, and facilitated group dialogue.

    To receive CE credit, participants must:

    • Attend all required live sessions in full

    • Participate in the learning experience as designed

    • Complete the required course evaluation

    Partial credit is not available.

  • Learning Objective 1: 

    Demonstrate somatic grounding and gratitude practices to improve emotional regulation during climate-related distress.

    Learning Objective 2: 

    Differentiate between climate anxiety, ecological grief, and solastalgia using psychological and decolonized/indigenist frameworks.

    Learning Objective 3: 

    Differentiate between empathy and compassion to identify how nature-based compassion supports clinical well-being.

    Learning Objective 4: 

    Explain kin relationality and describe pillars of Indigenous resilience as a framework for ethical climate response.

    Learning Objective 5: 

    Recognize the structural conditions of climate coloniality and identify the three core principles of critical climate justice praxis.

    Learning Objective 6: 

    Summarize how various expressions of hope can either support or constrain sustained climate engagement, based on psychological and ethical factors.

    Learning Objective 7:  

    Describe climate distress as a meaningful psychological response and identify how group-based processing promotes collective engagement.

    Learning objective 8:

    Recognize storytelling as a tool for identity transformation and identify radical imagination as a capacity for envisioning resilient futures.

  • Certificates are awarded online after completion of the training. Participants print their own certificate after registering at CE-Classes.com, entering a keycode, and completing an evaluation form.

    Licensed Professionals should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.

  • Cancellation Policy

    Registration for the Climate Emotional Resilience Training is considered confirmed upon payment. Because this is a small, cohort-based training that relies on group continuity, cancellations significantly impact the learning community.

    • Cancellations made 14 days or more prior to the start date of the program are eligible for a refund minus a $75 administrative fee.

    • If a participant is unable to attend, registration may be transferred to a future CERT cohort, subject to availability, with written notice provided prior to the start of the program.

    • Cancellations made within 14 days of the program start date are non-refundable.

    • In the unlikely event that the program is cancelled by the organizers, participants will receive a full refund.

    Grievance Policy

    All grievances must be submitted in writing to the program administration at: info@climateemotionalresilience.org

    Grievances will be reviewed and responded to within 5–10 business days of receipt. Every effort will be made to address concerns in a timely, respectful, and transparent manner.

    ADA Assistance

    This training is held on online platforms that are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

    If you require special accommodations to fully participate in this program, please contact: info@climateemotionalresilience.org

    Requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible to allow adequate time for coordination.

    Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Disclosure

    The Climate Emotional Resilience Training is designed to provide educational content grounded in contemporary psychological research and experiential learning. There is no known commercial support for this program and there are no known conflicts of interest for this workshop. Any potential conflicts of interest or sources of support, should they arise, will be fully disclosed in accordance with continuing education standards.

What if we were to think about grief as a form of love?

The Facilitators

Elizabeth and Eva created the Thicket course in 2019 and it has been a well-received training course by many ever since.

  • Co-Founder of CERI, Psychotherapist, and long-term group facilitator

    Learn More

  • Executive Director of CERI, Psychotherapist, and long-term Group Facilitator.

    Learn More

Testimonials

  • "As an activist working on the climate crisis, my mental health often was put on hold in the face of the urgency of the crises we are facing. The Thicket course helped me to slow down, and take seriously the need to better take care of my mental health. It provided useful tools, strategies and techniques, which will strengthen my well being and, by doing so, my activism too.

    Alex - South Africa Climate Justice Campaigner at 350.org, South Africa

  • "Thicket helped me to connect deeply with myself, my fellow human beings, and the Earth. Through participating in this group, I feel better able to hold my emotions related to climate change and I know what I can do to manage those emotions if they become overwhelming."

    Allegra - Clinical psychology student and researcher on climate change anxiety, Canada

  • "Thicket Training was an opportunity to strengthen my internal resilience in a safe space to express my emotions and have support for my own practice. "

    Nathalia - WTR facilitator, Brazil

  • "My work as an end-of-life doula means I'm navigating vulnerable spaces around grief and loss on a regular basis. But I find that being in a supportive role often means I'm doing less to track my own grief experiences. This is especially true when it comes to personal grief related to climate change, ecosystem collapse, etc. The Thicket course was so valuable in that it offered both a container and an outlet for me to learn about and be in creative dialogue with the various faces of my own grief. The content is dynamic, embodied, and is curated in such a way that all parts of you feel tended to and incorporated into the experience. I truly wish everyone could be gifted this sacred and thoughtful opportunity."

    Elizabeth, End-Of-Life Doula and ED of the Peaceful Presence Project, USA

  • “Eva and Elizabeth model a groundedness and open-heartedness that invited the same from me. I felt safe, understood, appreciated, seen -- with all the shades of feeling and experience I shared with the group.”ist Item

    P - Psychotherapist, USA

  • “Thicket gave me the tools and mindset needed to stay calm and engaged in climate action. I expect I will repeat many of the nature-based exercises in particular as a way to slow down and really appreciate my surroundings.”

    Stephanie - Environmental education program manager, USA