Australian Association of Family Therapy Conference · 2025
Family therapy in climate breakdown: systemic responses to climate distress
Presented at the 2025 Australian Association of Family Therapy Conference, this session explores how family therapy can address emotional and relational distress arising from ecological collapse and climate change. Rather than viewing climate-related distress through an individual symptom lens, the talk positions it as a complex, systemic phenomenon that emerges in and through family interactions, values, conflicts and shared meaning-making.
Drawing on systemic theory and practice, the session used a case-based approach to show how family therapists can conceptualise and respond to climate distress by attending to patterns of communication, intergenerational differences in climate engagement, and the broader sociopolitical contexts that shape emotional responses.
Practitioners were invited to reflect on their own roles and assumptions, consider when and how climate distress appears in clinical work, and explore relational strategies that support connection, agency and ethical engagement rather than narrow symptom management.
Why this matters for practice
Noticing when your own history and position shape what you are seeing is a core skill we teach on Family Therapy Foundations, and it applies well beyond climate work.
Full reference
Kökçinar, R. R. (2025). Family therapy in climate breakdown: systemic responses to climate distress. Australian Association of Family Therapy Conference: Healing and Reconnecting, Naarm, Melbourne, Australia.
This paper informs how we teach systemic practice at AkindaCo. See Family Therapy Foundations, our two-day family therapy training in Adelaide, or the rest of our conference presentations.