Do we think or act "green"?
Does the degradation of our environment have a psychological impact on people?
Is there an ecological unconscious?
Thomas Joseph Doherty is an engaging and sought-after public speaker who has presented talks and workshops to professional organizations, universities, businesses, and community groups. The hallmarks of Thomas Doherty's talks include his ability to connect with individuals, honor their values, and promote a positive and optimistic outlook regarding challenges like environmental problems and climate change.
Examples of talks and workshops
Personal sustainability
Doherty draws on his experience in environmental and health psychology to help individuals apply sustainability principles to their personal health and well-being and develop practices of sustainability authentic to their unique personality. Doherty helps people develop confidence in their emerging ecological identities and experience what it can mean to have a "sustainable self."
The psychology of nature restoration
Doherty discusses the stress reducing and attention-restoring properties of connection with green spaces --whether they be "nearby nature" like parks and gardens or wilderness areas.
Wilderness therapy
This talk discusses therapeutic benefits of backcountry adventuring that include relaxation and restored attention, novelty and challenge, mindfulness and physical conditioning, connection with nature and other species, time for deep inner reflection, and (re)connecting with personal vision, life-meaning, and spiritual connections.
Master of Two Worlds (M2W)
This talk is inspired by the final stage of the well-known "Hero's Journey" metaphor. Once the hero has completed his or her trials and adventures, the challenge is to manifest the vision of possibility he or she brings from the "extraordinary world" in the "real world" of their community and society -- or to be a "Master of Two Worlds." In this talk, Doherty applies the M2W model to environmental innovators and change agents who carry with them a vision of sustainability and labor daily to foster this vision in their organizations and communities. The talk also shows how the M2W model corresponds with research on leadership, motivation, and preventing burnout.
Ecopsychology
Doherty introduces ecopsychology, an emerging worldview that looks at mind, emotions, behavior, and identity in the context of global ecology and the natural world. Ecopsychology has implications for healthcare, business, and communities.
UR3OK! (You are OK!)
Doherty describes a simple model for practicing sustainability in one's daily life: Understand, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, Offset, Kindness. First seek to understand your goals and the barriers and incentives to change. Then, practice proven conservation techniques, such as reducing your consumption, reusing products, and recycling. Offset your emissions whenever possible. And, finally, be kind to yourself and others--as we all adapt to a world of globalization and climate change.
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