Activists sometimes wait too long before seeking support. Please feel free to get in touch with us – before you feel burnt out!

We are happy to receive your inquiry and have sufficient capacity to attend to it. We will arrange a counseling for you, which can be about a variety of things:

• I have problem X – what can I do?
• I have goal Y – how can I achieve it?
• Do I need psychotherapy?
• How do I get on a treatment program?

For counseling requests, please contact us at: beratung@psychologistsforfuture.org.
If you do not receive an answer within 48 hrs on working days, please contact mail@psychologistsforfuture.org.

We might share your data – only within Psychologists/Psychotherapists for Future – if it seems expedient to do so with regard to your request. For example, we might forward your e-mail to one of our regional groups. If you do not want this, please let us know at initial contact.

If you would like to be consulted by someone of a specific gender, please mention this in your e-mail.

Therapists who are interested in supporting us can contact us at beratung@psychologistsforfuture.org.

We offer webinars on topics such as sustainable activism, mindfulness and  emotional coping with the climate crisis. Here you will be informed about our next webinars: t.me/psy4f (telegram channel).

In some places we can also offer workshops for you on site, e.g. on sustainable activism (self-care, stress management, burnout prevention, mindfulness) or discussion groups to support emotional coping with the climate crisis.

We are happy to offer further topics for workshops or lectures that interest you on request.

Climate Resilience – Emotional Coping Strategies for the Climate Crisis

We have collected 14 climate resilience strategies that have helped many activists not to despair of the climate crisis but to grow personally.

Self-Care

The 10 pillars of self-care promote your resilience to cope with stress. The better the pillars are positioned, the better they can support you. We recommend writing down what works well for you and which pillars you would like to strengthen in our worksheet. By using the weekly schedule on the last page you can decide in advance how many hours you want to commit to activism and what you would like to do to regenerate.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness helps you to experience, shape, and enjoy your life more consciously. It is a very basic skill and art that we will briefly introduce to you in this handout. However, regular practice is more important than reading. You can find guided meditations at Soundcloud (in German) or in the app Insight Timer.

The smartphone is a central tool for many activists but also a source of stress. It is a high art to use this tool in a meaningful way. Our worksheet (in German) on digital mindfulness should help you to handle the device more consciously.

Meditation does not always have to take place in a sitting position. A mindful walk can also be a valuable source of strength and connect you with yourself and nature.

Healthy Sleep

We have compiled the most important recommendations for healthy sleep to help you relax at night.

Collegial Coaching

This handout explains how you can achieve your goals through regular interaction with a friend.

Burnout Factors

In this worksheet (in German) you will find suggestions on what you can do to counter your own burnout factors.

Dealing With Conflicts

With this handout for non-violent communication (in German) you can prepare for difficult conversations in order to solve conflicts constructively.

If you have any questions regarding these suggestions, please contact beratung@psychologistsforfuture.org.

Book Recommendations

• The 6 minute diary – structured instructions for more well-being: https://urbestself.de/products/the-6-minute-diary
• A good plan – calendar with questions for reflection: https://einguterplan.de/agoodplan
• The Lifelong Activist – a classic in English which can be read for free at: https://lifelongactivist.com/

Apps

• Recommendation for self-organization: In order not to lose track of your political activism, apps for scheduling and task planning are helpful. They require a few minutes daily to maintain them. Watch short videos on how to use them best.
• Most popular meditation app worldwide with timer and many free guided meditations: insighttimer.com
• Apps on depression & so-called mood tracker apps are helpful, but unfortunately only anonymous to a limited extent.

Links

• Retreats for activists: If you need a timeout, you can check out this donation-based retreat option: https://aktivisti-retreat.org/en/
• Out of Action – Emotional First Aid: Offers groups for people who made traumatic experiences in activism: https://outofaction.blackblogs.org/. In the “Material” section of the website you can find a reader on coping with violence.
• Hate Aid: A helpline for people affected by digital violence (ranging from misquotations to insults, threats and hate storms): https://hateaid.org/en