Women’s Climate Group
Accepting Members for Fall 2024 Cohort
September 21 - November 16, 2024
7 Tuesday evening meetings on Zoom PLUS
3 Saturday in-person meetings in Berkeley, California
Do you have big feelings about the climate crisis?
Such as grief, anxiety, rage, hopelessness, existential dread, fear, paralysis?
Feelings that sometimes make it hard to think clearly, breathe, dream about the future, enjoy being in nature and daily life?
Do you wish you had a space + community for these feelings?
A space to channel your feelings and forge connections with a community of people who *get it*?
The Women’s Climate Group is a therapeutic group for female-identified* folks who are ready to move through despair around climate change and the future of our planet.
It is a haven away from the every-day where you have full permission to feel.
*Female-identified includes those assigned female at birth as well as those who identify as femme (non-binary) and trans-femme
Over 12 weeks, we will come together to move through our feelings about the planet through…
Reflection
Storytelling
Ritual
Movement
Music
Time in Nature
We will listen deeply to our minds, hearts, and bodies, and honor both the pain and pleasure we experience in relationship with the earth.
We will practice and embody feminine ways of being that are desperately needed to solve our world’s greatest challenge (climate change).
I will guide you in:
Ecological grief rituals
Eco-therapy practices connecting to the wisdom of the natural world
Reflective writing and storytelling
Accessing your climate feelings using through meditation and mindfulness
Emotional self-regulation practices
Art therapy practices that include singing and movement
Exploring parts of you that block you from climate action
Participants can expect to
Get real about how you feel and receive support from group members and a licensed therapist
Offer active listening and thoughtful reflections to other members
Note: This is not a therapy group, though the content is informed by therapy frameworks and practices. It is not a replacement for individual or group therapy.
About your Guide
Joanna Calabrese (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has worked in the climate + sustainability space on Capitol Hill, in universities, and for grassroots nonprofits. She is a Climate-Aware Therapist with the Climate Psychology Alliance and has led grief rituals, support groups, and “Climate Cafes” for communities online and across California. She created this group for her inner-burnout activist- because she needs it too! Her intention is to support fellow women in finding connection, relief, and renewed hope and energy for action.
She believes that you have to “feel it to heal it” when it comes to personal and planetary pain. And that healing is best done in community.
Therapy and therapeutic groups are a critical climate solution! Adapting our psyches to climate change is as important as adapting the land with stronger sea walls and power-grids. Psychological adaption and resilience is needed to steward our human energy and creative capacities NOW when they are most needed.
In designing this group, she draws from her formal education and training in somatic/trauma-informed therapy and eco-therapy. She also draws from my lived experience participating in women’s groups, rites of passage work, and climate-activism.
Testimonials from past participants
“Joanna models what it is to be real with the enormous weight that comes with this moment in our world. The care and skill woven through the facilitation of the group brought our cohort together and created magic for exploring the depths for each of us around themes of climate grief, death, hope and celebration of pleasure activism, and nature.” - D.P.
“I felt held and supported in learning alongside a group of women I admired. There was a high level of trust and closeness fostered with others grappling with difference, justice, and finding courage to persist in our own forms of climate action. Highly recommended!.” - K.Y.
FAQs
Who is ideal for this group?
The group is open to female identified folks* (ages 18 or older) who care about and feel distress about climate change. Women in environmental work, human rights, social justice work, mothers, medical providers, educators, activists, researchers, public servants and others confronting climate change are encouraged to join.
It is also ideal for anyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area OR in Northern California who is willing to drive for three in person meetings on Saturdays.
*Female-identified includes those assigned female at birth as well as those who identify as femme-non-binary and femme-trans
How much does the group cost?
$990 for 3 four-hour in person sessions and 7 ninety minute Zoom sessions. I accept 3 payments of $330 (one per month) or one of $970 paid upfront for ($20 discount for paying upfront). You are expected to pay for all meetings even if you need to miss.
Please inquire if the fee is a challenge or if you need a different payment plan. Limited sliding scale spots available to support those who are low-income and experiencing financial hardship. Email joannacalabresetherapy@gmail.com
How do I sign up?
Fill out the form below at the bottom of the page. The first step is a 15-20 min call to make sure it’s the right fit and answer any questions you have.
How long will the group run?
10 consecutive weeks (over 3 months) starting Saturday Sept 21, 2024. Meeting time will depend on the availability of group members.
How many members will be in the group?
6-10 members
Is this a therapy group?
No, this is not a therapy group. Joanna will be teaching and facilitating therapeutic practices and activities, yet will not be serving your personal or group counselor. This is not a replacement for individual or group therapy.
When will the group meet?
10 meetings total. 7 meetings on Tuesday evenings on Zoom (time TBD) for 90 min plus 3 Saturdays in-person in Berkeley, California outdoors and in a therapy office.
Sat Sept 21 10am-2pm in person
Tues Sept 24 evening 90 min TBD on Zoom
Tues Oct 1
Tues Oct 8
Tues Oct 15
Sat Oct 26 10am-2pm in person
Tues Oct 29
Tues Nov 5
Tues Nov 12
Sat Nov 16 10am-2pm in person
Will the group be closed or open?
This is a closed group. No members will be added after the start date.
What is the schedule of the online and in-person meetings?
The group will meet 3 times total in-person in Berkeley, California (including the first meeting and and the last meeting) both outdoors in local regional parks and indoors in a therapy office—and 8 times online on Zoom for the remaining meetings.
What if I can’t make all of the meetings?
We ask that, during the course of the group, you treat it like you would a family or work commitment i.e.a high priority. Each week builds on the previous one, as the group becomes deeper and more cohesive over time. You are expected to pay for all meetings even if you need to miss any of them. If you know you will need to miss more than 2 out of the 12 meetings, it may be best to wait to join the next round of the group.