Sustainable Self

Sustainable Self Dr. Thomas Joseph Doherty uses his expertise about psychology & behavior change to help individuals & organizations become more healthy & productive.

Author of "Surviving Climate Anxiety" - out now. Thomas Doherty uses his expertise about psychology & behavior change to help individuals & organizations become more healthy & productive. He provides traditional clinical and counseling psychology services. He also specializes in psychology approaches that (1) address human interbeing with the natural environment (ecopsychology), (2) relationships with nearby spaces and landscapes (environmental psychology), and (3) sustainability and wildlife stewardship (conservation psychology). This is his professional FaceBook page.

12/16/2025

Still feeling grateful after a wonderful night at Powell's Books, Inc.

Thank you to everyone who joined me and the brilliant Erica Berry for a thoughtful, honest, and hopeful conversation about climate emotions, resilience, and what it means to stay grounded in times that can feel overwhelming.

Sharing in my hometown, in a space that has meant so much to me over the years, was incredibly meaningful. Seeing people connect with the ideas, share their own stories, and support one another reminded me why this work matters so much.

I’m also excited to share that I have more of these events coming up and would love to see you there:

📍 Dec 18 — Brooklyn, NY
Ecological Identity & Mental Health
6–8 PM @ Shapeshifter Lab, Park Slope

📍 Jan 15 — Seattle, WA
7:00 PM, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, Seward Park

And if your organization, school, or community is looking for a speaker or workshop on climate emotions, ecological identity, or resilience, feel free to send me a DM.

It was my great pleasure to see the team from Climate Town in action LIVE for a Town Hall and Podcast taping in New York...
12/11/2025

It was my great pleasure to see the team from Climate Town in action LIVE for a Town Hall and Podcast taping in New York recently at the Bell House on Nov 4.

Rollie Williams , Matt Nelsen, Nicole Conlan, and Ben Boult were all in fine form, and the crowd was hyped for Election Day. Along with the comedy, the team educated the audience about just how many millions of dollars companies like Exxon Mobil have spent to develop -- and mainly falsely advertise -- unproven projects to make gas from algae.

This is on the order of 0.14% of the billions they spend on drilling and producing oil.

Apparently the algae project is very successful as advertising, but its feasibility was highly exaggerated, that is, greenwashing.

12/04/2025

When life feels overwhelming, one way to steady yourself is to come back to your body and your surroundings. 🌿

In Surviving Climate Anxiety, I call this reclaiming your nervous system.

It starts by remembering that your life is the news. The world right outside your door—the people, the weather, the sounds—is just as real and important as anything online.

Even if you’re not surrounded by nature, you can find calm in noticing what’s right in front of you.

Surviving Climate Anxiety is out now: https://bit.ly/47NI4lu

Feeling really grateful for the thoughtful reviews coming in for  .It means a lot to see the book resonating with people...
12/02/2025

Feeling really grateful for the thoughtful reviews coming in for .

It means a lot to see the book resonating with people in so many different ways.

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you can order it now via the link in the comments. 🌎

12/01/2025

With climate change dominating the news again during COP30, it’s natural for anxiety to rise...especially for those caring for families and communities.

At Inc, I shared a few grounding strategies with Inc. that can help you clarify what you’re feeling, reclaim your nervous system, and focus on what’s actually within your control.

If you need a place to start, this article might help.

Read it via the link in the comments. 🌍

Grateful to Publishers Weekly for their kind review of  . 🌍They described it as “a smart, practical guide to battling th...
11/27/2025

Grateful to Publishers Weekly for their kind review of . 🌍

They described it as “a smart, practical guide to battling through the uncertainty of one of today’s most pressing global threats.”

That balance—between awareness, steadiness, and action—is exactly what I hoped this book would offer. My goal has always been to help readers find a grounded path through climate emotions, one that makes room for both outrage and gratitude, fear and hope.

Surviving Climate Anxiety is available wherever books are sold.

11/25/2025

Learning how to feel isn’t just about naming emotions. It’s about understanding them. 🌿

In , I share three questions to help you and your family navigate big feelings:

1️⃣ What am I feeling?
2️⃣ What do I want to feel?
3️⃣ What do I need to feel?

In the book, I share tools to better answer all these questions and more.

Surviving Climate Anxiety is available now: https://bit.ly/47NI4lu

11/20/2025

I’m looking forward to joining the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America for a special online session.

On Thursday, December 4, Ari Cook-Shonkoff and I will be in conversation, sharing insights from our new books, exploring resilience in a warming world, and guiding an experiential exercise to help you steady your mind and emotions in the face of climate change.

Ari’s book, Raising Anti-Doomers, brings compassionate guidance for parents navigating these times.
Surviving Climate Anxiety offers a framework for coping, healing, and cultivating grounded hope.

If you’re looking for tools, community, or simply a moment to breathe, I’d love for you to join us.

Sign up via the link in the comments.

11/18/2025

Einstein said we can’t solve problems at the same level of thinking that created them.

The same goes for emotions. Anxiety tells us something’s wrong—but it’s not meant to fix the problem by itself.

When it comes to climate worry—our own or our kids’—we have to bring in other feelings too: courage, curiosity, and hope.

That’s how we find resilience.

is out now: https://bit.ly/47NI4lu

Hello New York City Friends and Colleagues!Please join me for an informal book launch party for Surviving Climate Anxiet...
11/14/2025

Hello New York City Friends and Colleagues!

Please join me for an informal book launch party for Surviving Climate Anxiety.

SAVE THE DATE:
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 6-8 PM
Location: 390 Social 390 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

I’ll have copies of the book on hand. A brief reading and audience Q&A will take place at 6:30 PM. A variety of tasty food and drink is available from the 390 Social Bar. Please come by and say hello, and feel free to bring friends!

Learn more about the book at https://bit.ly/3K4ffbc

At its core, psychology is about how we live: how we think, feel, manage stress, raise our kids, and take action on what...
11/13/2025

At its core, psychology is about how we live: how we think, feel, manage stress, raise our kids, and take action on what matters most.

In , I look at these fundamentals through the lens of the world our families are inheriting. It’s about more than coping. It’s about building resilience, values, and connection in a changing climate.

Get your copy today.

Thank you to KATU News for having me on to talk about   and how we can all learn to cope, heal, and even thrive in a cha...
11/12/2025

Thank you to KATU News for having me on to talk about and how we can all learn to cope, heal, and even thrive in a changing world. 🌍

From the geologist haunted by melting glaciers to the couple wondering about raising a child in uncertain times, the stories in the book remind us that climate emotions are real, and that caring deeply is a sign of connection, not weakness.

We talked about practical ways to steady yourself, stay engaged, and find meaning through it all.

Watch the full interview below.

https://bit.ly/4hZQ5XS

From a geologist haunted by images of melting glaciers to a young couple deciding whether to bring a child into a challenging world, climate anxiety is real, an

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