A Reflection & Interview with Anna Graybeal and Kelsey Balaban on the Climate Cafe

Written by: Katie Webb

Introduction: 

When I walked into the Climate Cafe, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Climate change is one of those subjects I usually hold at a distance—too big, too overwhelming, too tangled with guilt and shame to look at directly. What I found instead was a space that felt surprisingly familiar, almost like group therapy. There was no agenda, no push to take action, no pressure to sign up for a cause. Just room to sit with the feelings that surface when we think about a global crisis that so often feels unbearable to face alone.  

As participants shared, I noticed something shifting in me. Normally I get stuck in a single emotion around this topic, and my instinct is to escape it as quickly as possible. Here, I could tolerate more. Listening to others brought movement to my own feelings. And the facilitators, two skilled group therapists, held us steady—not steering us toward solutions, but helping us stay with the emotions themselves. That felt both soothing and transformative, reminding me of the same healing possibility I see in therapy: that things can shift when we bring them into the light.  

What struck me most was the reminder that climate change is not just an individual burden to be  carried in private. It is a collective reality, and it is in community that we can begin to resource one another. In that room, I realized I didn’t have to choose between avoiding the subject entirely or carrying it in silence and shame. I was reminded of one of the things I find most beautiful about therapy — that we don’t have to be alone with what’s hard to feel.  

In my interview with Anna Graybeal and Kelsey Balaban, they share the heart behind the Climate Cafe model, why group conversations matter in navigating climate emotions, and what participants can expect from this unique offering.  

Interview:

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Katie: For those who may not be familiar, what exactly is a Climate Cafe, and how does it differ from other community conversations about climate change?  

Anna: A Climate Cafe is simply a one-time gathering where people can talk about their thoughts and feelings about climate change, for about an hour and a half. There’s no need or expectation to know much about climate change since, after all, it is a big and very complex topic. Also, there’s no expectation that participating in a Climate Cafe will lead to any particular outcome. But the changing climate is an increasingly important reality of all our lives, and most of us tend to avoid thinking or talking about it, so the idea of Climate Cafes is that at least this can be a time and space to begin saying a few things to others, and hopefully not feeling quite so alone with it.  

Katie: Why do you think it’s important to have spaces like this in Austin right now?  

Anna: It’s very clear, there’s actually research showing this, that people tend to avoid talking about climate change. This is quite understandable given how stirring it is (we are talking about an extremely urgent and serious threat, after all!), but we group therapists know that not talking about important things is problematic. We are left feeling alone to manage awful feelings like helplessness, anxiety, anger and as a result we feel powerless. We know that sharing these feelings with others is the antidote: not only does it actually open up space for a deepening of vulnerability and authentic intimacy, it also may help us take better steps to take care of ourselves. 

Kelsey: As therapists, we often work with ourselves and our clients to slow down rather than jump into action. The climate crisis, however, calls for an “all hands on deck” response. A climate cafe provides a space to explore when to lean into our emotions about the crisis and when to move into action, ideally with the awareness that we’re not alone in any of our feelings.  

Katie: Can you share a bit about your background and how you came to this work of facilitating climate-related conversations?  

Anna: I started my career as a biologist because of a childhood love for animals and being outdoors. I learned about climate change 30 years ago, and started getting really worried about it around 20 years ago. I volunteered as a climate activist for many years, and now am passionate about working with people to talk more about climate and all of the larger collective issues it connects with, like racism and colonial capitalism. I think partly this relates to my history, because I really get stirred when people aren’t talking about the “elephants in the room”! To me it unlocks connection with others when we actually talk about what we’re experiencing, even if it’s activating and challenging. 

Kelsey: As a teen I visited a German friend and her family and was dazzled by how they sorted their kitchen waste, so I came home and made my family start recycling. Somehow this bloomed over the years into more awareness of environmental crises and a desire for more sustainable ways of living. I got involved with a climate advocacy organization (after Anna gave a presentation on it!) and have found it nourishing to keep joining groups working on varied aspects of the climate crisis. With my interest in helping people in therapy find similarities and connect across differences, it feels right to provide a space for people to share varied feelings about the climate crisis. I also deeply believe that small conversations and actions add up. 

Katie: What drew you personally to the Climate Cafe model?  

Anna: The Climate Cafe model is very accessible: this is just one meeting, and it doesn’t last very long. It’s a great way for people to dip their toe into this material, and perhaps to get a sense of how talking might help them cope better because it will allow them to feel less alone.  

Katie: Many people experience climate grief, anxiety, or overwhelm. How can a Climate Cafe help people process those emotions?  

Anna: Talking in a setting where one is met with attunement from others is the best way to process our emotions! Given the topic, a Climate Cafe is just the beginning, but it is a good place to start.  

Katie: How does the group format—being in conversation with others—deepen or shift the way people engage with climate-related feelings compared to processing them individually?  

Anna: I like this question because this is something I have learned experientially over and over again, going deeper and deeper each time: when we’re dealing with existential threat, with grief and loss, with “termination” if you will, it keeps becoming clearer and clearer to me that the source of solace is our authentic intimacy with other living creatures. Talking with others about their true experience of loss and termination is an incredibly powerful way to deepen our vulnerability with each other and feel more connected. This is a true solace and gift. It may suck that we need it, but let’s at least get THAT before we end our days.  

Kelsey: I echo the experience of finding relief in realizing others feel similarly about the climate crisis. Also, sharing a variety of emotions and perspectives—for instance, hopelessness and a need to slow down, or hopefulness or a desire for action—builds comfort in bringing ourselves into group and knowing we can be different from each other. Finally, I think that hearing others’ feelings about climate change expands our capacity to care about each other and the earth.  

Katie: What parallels do you see between the Climate Cafe experience and group psychotherapy principles?  

Anna: While Climate Cafes resemble group therapy in that people are putting their thoughts and  feelings into words, they are not considered therapy groups, because the participants are not expected, nor have they agreed, to delve deeply into their feelings and any resistance they might have to expressing them because of historical reasons. In other words, there is a superficial resemblance, but Climate Cafes are definitely not therapy. 

Katie: What are some common misconceptions about talking openly about climate change in community settings? 

Kelsey: Some wonder how slowing down and sharing feelings about such an enormous crisis that is ever-unfolding can be helpful, especially when so much action is needed. Others have the idea that they need to know a lot about what’s going on to have anything to say. Still others may wonder if peers will share their feelings or if they need to have the same experiences—the same grief or outrage or calm or anger—around it.  

Katie: What do you hope people will take away from this event—both for themselves and for their communities?

Kelsey: I hope that participants will realize they’re not alone in whatever they’re experiencing around the climate crisis and this earth we all share. I’d love for them to feel even a little more comfortable sharing these feelings with their friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, faith & other communities, and political representatives. I hope they feel empowered by what they hear or express to move the needle of climate action in their own way. We all need to be talking about climate change and motivating each other to new ways of caring for each other and our planetary home, and I hope this event helps people flex their muscles toward this!

Katie: How do you see this kind of group dialogue contributing to long-term resilience and action in the face of climate change?  

Kelsey: Taking in others’ feelings and perspectives can soften us. It can open us to others’ current  experiences and the ways climate change will impact us and them in the future. It can also motivate us toward caring action. We know that those who fare best in disasters are those with strong relational networks, so group dialogues can strengthen our skills in building connection. Finally, I think we’re often not totally aware of the ways that climate change is reshaping everything around us. Expressing our own feelings empowers us to see how we’re being affected and ask for what we want, in our own homes, at work, and in our communities.  

Interested in Attending a Future Climate Cafe?  

The Climate Cafe is open to anyone curious about exploring their feelings around climate change in a supportive, non-judgmental space. No expertise or activism experience is required—only a willingness to listen, share, and connect.  

Keep an eye on the Austin Group Psychotherapy Society calendar for upcoming events, or visit  https://www.climate.cafe/ to learn more.