Deborah Lane

Deb joined the Global Sustainability Institute in 2024 as a postgraduate research student focusing on 'Climate Distress: effective responses for net zero', drawing on her experience of working with international climate and environment NGOs as a consultant and as a child and adolescent therapist.

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Read more about Deb's therapeutic and consultancy work

Background

Broadly, Deb is curious about the links between culture, relationship with nature (individual to systemic) and outcomes for people and planet: how biodiversity loss and climate change impact wellbeing (physical and mental health) and how nature connection (relational intra-connectedness and reciprocity) influences health/wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours.

Her PhD research focuses on climate psychology, and third sector interventions for climate-distress in the context of net zero, bringing an eco-psychotherapeutic and relational depth perspective. Her research firstly aims to map UK interventions for climate distress and climate action, including provision for children and adolescents, and secondly, through an in-depth exploration of a selected intervention, to evaluate its impact and influence on participants, leaders and their networks. Deb is the recipient of an ESRC funded CAM-DTP Studentship focusing on “Climate Distress: effective responses for net zero” with Prof Rosie Robison, Dr Mel Rohse and Dr Ami Crowther.

Deb completed a Masters Degree at Roehampton, in Integrative Child Psychotherapy and Counselling for Children, Adolescents and Families. During this, she conducted a research project exploring the perceived role of nature in nature-based counselling and psychotherapy with children and young people, leading to publication in 2022.

As an integrative therapist working with children and adolescents, Deb works with creative arts and play to facilitate communicate beyond the constraints of language, so that inner conflicts can be expressed, witnessed, and understood. Deb draws upon Attachment theory, Play Therapy, Humanistic, Psychodynamic and CBT in her work. Prior to training as a therapist, Deb worked with children and adolescents in schools as a Forest School Leader, developing a special interest in nature-based therapeutic approaches.

In tandem, Deb has worked with NGOs in the Environment, Climate and International Development sectors since 2003, specialising in programme design and development of proposals for European funding.

Qualifications

• MA (distinction) Integrative Child Psychotherapy and Counselling for Children, Adolescents and Families, University of Roehampton (2021)
• PgCert Eco-psychotherapy, CONFER (2022)
• BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Aberdeen (1995)

Memberships, editorial boards

• Accredited Member, British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Member, Climate Psychology Alliance

Selected recent publications

Lead author: The nature space. A reflexive thematic analysis of therapists’ experiences of 1:1 nature-based counselling and psychotherapy with children and young people: Exploring perspectives on the influence of nature within the therapeutic process. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 00, 1– 14. (March 2022)  https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12531