Anticipating the Launch of Ecopsychology

By Alicia Sparks
March 25, 2009

Midweek Mental Greening

Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is set to launch Ecopsychology this spring, and I must say, I for one am mighty excited.

Why?

Well, because according to the publisher’s web page for Ecopsychology:

The new, peer-reviewed online journal Ecopsychology explores the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and wellbeing. The Journal examines the psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic aspects of human-nature relationships, concern about environmental issues, and responsibility for protecting natural places and other species.

And isn’t that some of the very stuff Midweek Mental Greening is all about?

I’d hoped to get a sneak peek at the journal, but the “Free Issue” option doesn’t currently offer a free issue (makes sense, as it hasn’t launched yet); however, the web page does give us a glimpse at the kinds of topics we can expect from Ecopsychology:

The role of connection to nature in healthy development and identity

Emotional and psychological factors that drive environmental issues

Ecotherapy and the use of wilderness for health and healing

Coping with anxiety or grief about environmental destruction

Effective ways to motivate sustainable behaviors

Spiritual and cultural practices that support a healthy environment

A personal, online only subscription to Ecopsychology is set at $79 – a price I’d probably be willing to pay given the topics – and there’s also the option to contact your local librarian to suggest picking up the journal.

While we wait, be sure to bookmark the Ecopsychology web page so you can check out the free issue when it arrives and, if you like it, maybe even order a subscription.

Alicia Sparks is the author of the Psych Central blog, Celebrity Psychings, which provides insight and commentary into the world of celebrities from a psychological point of view.