Reconnecting systemic family therapy: How family therapy training can attend to the ecosystem and climate emergency, recommendations from a Delphi survey

Abstract

We are facing devastating effects of the climate emergency and systemic environmental breakdown. These impact on mental health and wellbeing. Family therapy has only marginally engaged with these crises and the relationship between people and ecosystem. This Delphi survey identifies key elements to include in family therapy training to attend to the ecosystem and the climate and ecological emergencies. Participants generated ninety-six statements that were clustered into six overarching ‘topic areas’ (theories, orientations, schools, integrations/transformations, methods, and techniques). There were sixty-six statements agreed at a high level of consensus and seventeen with a moderate level of consensus, while there was no consensus over the remaining thirteen items. All participants opted to suggest references, which form a reading list to accompany these ideas.