Towards Evidence-Based Guidelines for Working with Climate-Anxious Youth: Insights from a Delphi Study of Mental Health Practitioners and Researchers
This study utilized a two-round Delphi method with 38 mental health experts to establish consensus on 53 evidence-based strategies for supporting climate-anxious youth, emphasizing emotional regulation, adaptive coping, and collective action while avoiding avoidance-based or overly prescriptive approaches.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
The air we breathe and the water we drink are no longer just background elements of daily life; for many young people, they have become sources of deep, persistent worry. This feeling, known as climate anxiety, is not a new disease but a natural emotional response to the very real threats of a changing planet. It manifests as a constant hum of distress about the future, affecting sleep, focus, and the ability to enjoy the present. While this worry is a rational reaction to global events, it can become overwhelming, turning into a barrier that stops young people from functioning in their daily lives. Mental health professionals are increasingly encountering this specific type of distress in their clinics and schools, yet they have lacked a clear, agreed-upon map for how to help. Without a shared set of guidelines, practitioners have been left to guess which conversations and activities might soothe a frightened mind and which might accidentally make things worse.
To solve this puzzle, a team of researchers in Slovenia gathered a group of experts to build that map. They brought together two distinct groups of people: mental health practitioners who work directly with young people every day, and researchers who study the mind and behavior. In total, thirty-eight experts participated in the first round of discussions, and twenty-nine returned for a second round to refine their answers. The researchers did not start with a blank slate. They had already spent time listening to focus groups with professionals and studying data from hundreds of young people to identify a list of sixty-one possible ways to help. These ranged from teaching emotional skills to organizing community clean-ups. The experts were asked to rate each of these sixty-one ideas on two simple questions: Is this actually helpful for a young person feeling this way? And is it possible to do this in the real world, given the limits of time, money, and staff?
The result was a clear consensus on what works and what does not. The experts agreed that the most effective approach starts with the heart, not the head. They strongly supported strategies that help young people recognize, name, and accept their feelings about the climate rather than trying to push them away. Teaching a young person to understand that their fear is a normal reaction to a real problem was seen as a crucial first step. Once that foundation is laid, the focus shifts to regulation. The experts endorsed teaching specific skills to manage intense emotions, such as learning to pause when overwhelmed or finding safe ways to express sadness and anger through art or conversation. The goal is not to eliminate the worry entirely, but to help the young person live with it without being paralyzed by it.
Action was also a major theme, but with a very specific twist. The experts found that helping young people take action is powerful only if that action feels manageable and shared. They strongly supported encouraging participation in group projects, like local environmental initiatives, where the sense of collective effort restores a feeling of control. However, they explicitly rejected the idea of prescribing specific lifestyle changes, such as demanding that a young person stop flying or change their diet, as a primary solution. The experts worried that placing the burden of solving the climate crisis on an individual's shoulders could actually increase anxiety and guilt. Instead, the agreed-upon path is to help young people distinguish between what they can influence and what they cannot, channeling their energy into constructive steps that fit their actual lives.
The study also offered clear warnings about what to avoid. One of the most common instincts is to tell a worried person to stop reading the news or to avoid thinking about the problem. The experts advised against this. While they supported teaching young people to recognize when they are doom-scrolling—compulsively checking negative news—and to set digital boundaries, they cautioned that completely avoiding the topic often makes the anxiety worse over time. Similarly, while medication was seen as a practical option for some, the experts did not agree that it should be a standard treatment for climate anxiety itself. They viewed the distress as a rational response to a threat, suggesting that therapy and support are better suited to the problem than pills, unless the anxiety has spiraled into a separate, severe mental health condition.
Perhaps the most surprising finding was the agreement on the role of adults and the environment. The experts emphasized that young people look to the adults around them for cues on how to feel. If parents or teachers are visibly terrified or paralyzed by the news, that fear is transmitted to the young person. Therefore, a key strategy is for adults to model how to regulate their own anxiety and to engage with the issue in a balanced way. The group also agreed that connecting with nature and building strong social bonds with like-minded peers are vital. These connections provide a sense of belonging and a reminder that the young person is not alone in their concern.
The final list of fifty-three endorsed strategies provides a practical toolkit for anyone working with young people. It suggests a path that moves from validation to regulation, and from individual worry to collective action. The experts were careful to note that these are guidelines based on professional judgment and experience, not a final proof that every single strategy will work for every single person. They stressed that the effectiveness of these methods needs to be tested in future studies. However, the clarity of their agreement offers a significant step forward. It moves the conversation from uncertainty to a shared understanding that the best way to help a climate-anxious young person is to help them understand their feelings, connect with others, and find a sense of agency that does not rely on carrying the weight of the world alone.
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