What changes when we recognise the deep interdependence between ourselves, our organisations and the natural world?

 

We are pleased to share ‘Meeting Nature’, a new Group Relations Conference with Humans and Nature as Participants, which will take place in the Netherlands on 7th-10th May 2026. 

This event is for anyone who wants to develop their role in challenging the ways we think and act in our organisations when it comes to nature - if this sounds interesting to you, read on! 

The old patterns of organisational life are straining. Accelerating climate change, rapid loss of biodiversity, and increasing scarcity of natural resources reveal that “business as usual” can’t take us much further. Many of us feel this, yet don’t have spaces to explore the deeper forces shaping our responses.

This conference offers such a space. By examining the unconscious dynamics that guide our relationship with nature, participants begin to notice blind spots, reconnect with systemic awareness, and rethink how leadership unfolds on an interconnected planet. An exploration that makes most sense if we invite nature to be part of it.

 

Immersed in Nature 

Working with unconscious processes in relation to nature’s agency is most powerful  when we are in direct contact with the natural world - which is why this conference  will take place in a forest setting in the Netherlands, immersed in nature and offering accommodation on site. Here, nature is not a backdrop but a co-participant in the  learning process. 

 

What Participants Will Explore 

Together, we will explore questions such as: 

• How aware are we — as individuals and organisations — of nature’s  presence? 
• How do we relate and respond to that presence? 
• To what extent do we integrate or ignore the natural world in our work? 
• What can nature teach us about authority, boundaries, and collaboration? 
• How does nature itself participate in our organisations and work? 
• How do we include the natural world in our leadership and roles? 

 

What Makes This Conference Unique 

This is not a traditional training or retreat. It is a fully experiential learning  environment, based on the Tavistock Group Relations Model which invites participants to explore group processes and their own ways of being across different group settings.

In this Group Relations Conference, the agency of the natural world is explicitly included. Rather than learning about systems, you will experience them. Throughout the conference, the natural environment* and encounters with nature will be active presences and participants in the conference alongside the human participants. 

* The weather, animals, plants, landscapes, sounds and silence, renewal  and adaptability, as well as the natural cycles, constantly relating to and influencing every creature - humans and non- humans alike. 

 

A Living Learning Organisation 

The conference functions as a temporary organisation for learning. There are no lectures or keynote speakers; rather, learning emerges from shared  experiences and interactions. Participants will experience:

• Small & large study groups – exploring group and interpersonal dynamics • Nature-based sessions – engaging directly with the more-than-human world,  with the dark, with fire – including bivvying in the forest should you feel called  • •Embodied practices – movement, silence, sensing, and working with dreams • •Intergroup and system events – exploring boundaries between human and  non-human systems 
• Integration & reflection spaces – connecting insights back to your  professional life

 

Who Is It For?

This conference is designed for professionals working with people, systems, and  change, including: 

• Leaders and policymakers, in sustainability and ecology (governance, business and NGO)
• Growers, healers, activists and anyone curious about the boundaries between  human and more-than-human systems 
• Organisational consultants, facilitators, and team coaches working in the field of sustainability 
• Representatives of religious communities 
• Psychologists and therapists working in the field of climate and nature 

No prior experience with Group Relations is required, all you need is an openness to reflect,  experience, and learn in new ways. If you have any  questions about participation do email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

About the Organisers 

The Nature Relations Innovation Initiative is a flexible alliance of professionals in  the humanities working with leaders, organisations, and communities to foster  sustainable thinking and practice through experiential learning and events. Its work ranges from (action) research to executive coaching and supporting change initiatives. 

The Climate Psychology Alliance is pleased to endorse this group relations conference, along with: 

• Natuur Centraal – promoting systems thinking that integrates human and  natural environments for sustainable change. 
• The International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations  – a global network applying psychoanalytic and systems thinking to the study  of organisations. 

Together, our organisations represent a tradition of engaging with real human,  social, and cultural relations, bridging organisational life and inner development. 

 

Venue

Op Welna is an estate on the northern edge of the Veluwe in the Netherlands, located between Epe and Nunspeet in Gelderland. It consists of 600 hectares of  forest, heathland and grassland, dotted with several comfortable houses and  outbuildings for meetings. The vast forests, silence, and tranquillity make it a unique place in the Netherlands. It can be reached by car or by train – Nunspeet train station – from where we will  arrange a connection to the venue. 

Photos: OpWelna 

 

Conference Staff 

Director: Rembrandt Zegers 

Organising committee: Anna-Rosa le Roux, Niels van Steenbergen, Rembrandt  Zegers 

This conference functions with the help of ‘consultants’ - staff whose role it is to keep the boundaries of the Group Relations approach in the work all members of the group (including staff) will be doing together. ’Boundaries’ here refers to those of time, place and organisation of the programme. These staff members are available as consultants during the conference to support everyone to stay on task exploring the unconscious while members of the group engage with each other and nature. The full ist of consultants will be shared in due course. 

 

How to apply 

To reserve your place, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your  name and email address. We will send you the application form to request personal  information like dietary needs. Acceptance to the conference is limited to 30 - 35 participants.  

 

Fees and Discounts 

It is our intention not to turn away anyone who wants to attend this event. See Sponsorship below.  

All quoted fees cover conference participation, accommodation and meals. Travel is  not included. We can advise you about travel in the Netherlands. Accommodation is either in a room or tent. The tents are spacious with real beds. We rent Op Welna ‘as a whole’. No other groups or people will be there, apart from us. Rooms – single and shared - will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

 

Cancellation policy 

If your cancellation request is received not later than 45 days prior to the start of the  conference, conference fees minus 10% will be reimbursed to you. After that time  credit is 50% of the registration fee. No refunds or credits can be issued on  cancellation requests received less than 21 days prior to the start of the conference. 

 

Sponsorship

It feels important to welcome a wide range of people to this event including those  most active in organisations and groups trying to protect the environment who are  often not, or not well, paid. We welcome the financial support of those who can  afford it. If you are willing and able to sponsor someone to attend please choose the Pay it Forward rate, or please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to donate a different amount and become a sponsor.

 

FAQs

Do I need prior experience in Group Relations? 

No. Curiosity and willingness to engage with the process are all that’s required. Is the conference suitable for people outside organisational roles? Yes. Anyone interested in exploring the intersection of human and natural systems is  welcome. 

Will the program involve outdoor activities? 

Yes. Nature is a co-participant in this experience, and some sessions will take place  outdoors. 

If you have any other questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

  

 

 

 

The Climate Psychology Alliance is hiring! We have four part-time, paid positions for people who want to join our growing community and help shape the collective response to our worsening climate crisis

 

Closing date 31 October 2025. Interviews in November. All roles available immediately, for one year in the first instance with the possibility of renewal. 

We are also seeking a voluntary Co-Treasurer.

Jump to individual roles by following the links here, or scroll down to see all of them:

1. Administrative coordinator

2. Inner Climate Response Alliance youth coordinator

3. CPA youth coordinator

4. Inner Climate Response Alliance community resilience coordinator

5. Co-Treasurer (voluntary role)

 

1. Administrative coordinator (10 hours/week)

Do you have administrative experience and strong self-organising and planning skills? Can you use your own initiative to create an end product (an event, for example, or an improved work process) while keeping mutual trust and developing relationships? Do you like making admin processes run smoothly? Maybe you could be our new administrative coordinator.

Leading on membership processes, record-keeping, and organising internal events, you’ll work alongside our communications coordinator to keep CPA’s processes and relationships functioning well. The role is at the centre of the culture of care that CPA seeks to create in its work and working practices. You’ll receive support from the voluntary coordinating group which meets weekly, and you will have regular supervision from an established member of CPA. 

Funded until 30 April 2027, thanks in part to National Lottery players and the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global. Appointment for one year in the first instance. More details of the role and how to apply

 

2. Inner Climate Response Alliance youth coordinator (8 hours/week)

Are you a community facilitator or psychologist with knowledge of the intergenerational aspects of the climate crisis? Could you use your psychological knowledge and community experience to foster connection, support and understanding of the needs of young people among peers working with climate activists? Come and be the youth coordinator for the Inner Climate Response Alliance (ICRA).

You will support practitioners to work in their own communities to grow capacity for psychological or ‘inner’ work in relation to climate action and adaptation, and link to other communities doing inner work of this kind. Within this framework you will have a particular focus on youth-focused activities, initiating and supporting a Youth Forum within ICRA.

Funded until 31 May 2030, thanks to National Lottery players. Appointment for one year in the first instance. More details of the role and how to apply here

 

3. CPA youth coordinator (8 hours/week)

Do you have lived experience of the psychological needs of children and young people in relation to climate breakdown?  Could you use your own experiences to support engagement with children and young people? Might you be able to enable people from older generations to understand intergenerational injustice, facilitating intergenerational dialogue and improving support for children and young adults? We hope you’ll apply to be CPA youth coordinator.

In the role you’d be working alongside an existing youth coordinator and your roles would be similar, with close teamwork invited. You would support CPA to engage and support young people, and support older people to better meet the needs of children and young people during a time of climate breakdown. You would lead on the development of CPA’s Students and Young Members’ group and work alongside the other youth coordinator and the ICRA youth coordinator to develop CPA’s offerings. 

Funded until 30 April 2027, thanks to a grant from the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Global. Appointment for one year in the first instance. More details of the role and how to apply 

 

4. Inner Climate Response Alliance community resilience coordinator (11 hours/week)

Are you a community facilitator looking to play your part in the collective response to our worsening climate crisis? Could you use your psychological knowledge and community experience to foster connection and support among peers working with climate activists?  Do you have a deep understanding of the links between social justice and the climate crisis? Then please apply to be CPA’s ICRA community resilience coordinator!

You would support CPA members and other practitioners to work in their own communities to grow capacity for inner work in relation to climate action and adaptation, and link to other communities doing inner work of this kind. You would work with colleagues in the Climate Majority Project to support the growth of inner work for climate action in specific communities.

Funded until 31 May 2030, thanks to National Lottery players. Appointment for one year in the first instance. More details of the role and how to apply

 

5. Co-Treasurer (voluntary role, hours to be agreed with the appointee)

 Do you have the ability to think financially? Do you have an eye for detail? Do you want to make a contribution to CPA’s important work on the emotional dimension of the climate and ecological crisis? We’re seeking a co-treasurer. You would work alongside our existing experienced treasurer, and the supportive coordinating group within CPA, to ensure that our financial planning and record-keeping is keeping pace with our needs as we move into managing much bigger budgets. This is a voluntary role. More details can be found here. 

Please share this opportunity with anyone you know who has the skills we are looking for. 

 

Important information

We seek to acknowledge systemic oppression, challenge assumptions and support an inclusive and diverse community. We particularly encourage applications from candidates who are from marginalised groups. 

By ‘inner work’ we mean a diverse range of approaches that support individuals, groups and communities to process the feelings and thoughts that come from engaging with the climate crisis, such that they can build stronger, more resilient relationships and better engage in action without becoming overwhelmed. We recognise that 'inner work' cannot be separated from the relational and socio-material contexts in which individuals and communities live.

 

 

Three of the four posts advertised here have some or all of their funding from the Inner Climate Response Alliance, a new partnership made up of the Mindfulness Initiative (MI), the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) and Climate Majority Project (CMP). The Inner Climate Response Alliance is bringing together the first UK-wide community of practice for people holding the inner dimension of our climate and global crisis. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are deeply grateful to have received almost £1.5m for this new project to support communities with the emotional impact of the climate crisis over the next five years.

This comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change and involve more people in climate action.

More paid opportunities within the Inner Climate Response Alliance will be announced soon - check out our website or subscribe to our Substack to stay in touch with us.

 

Climate Psychology Alliance

The Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) is a membership organisation whose purpose is to explore psychological responses to the climate crisis in order to strengthen relationships and resilience for a just future. CPA has over 700 members who are predominantly from the psychological professions and psychosocial and arts academics, but we welcome anyone exploring the psychology and soul of our current ecological crisis. We see the climate and ecological crisis as inextricably linked with racism and coloniality, and have a commitment to decolonising our own working practices.

Our work falls into the following six areas:

1. Support to individuals and groups suffering with eco distress and offer safe spaces to share emotions surrounding the climate crisis
2. Young people – we are especially concerned with the impact of the climate crisis on young people
3. Research and reflection on the psychological impact of the climate crisis and climate injustice
4. Training and events - continuing professional development and educational and community development
5. Talks and consultancy for organisations and businesses
6. Membership with the opportunity for co-creation and making links to support members’ work on the climate crisis

 

The rise of the nationalist right in the West and how those identifying with its politics talk and feel about the climate crisis is a key issue of our time. As we've seen increasing evidence of in recent weeks, populists like Reform UK want to make climate change a divisive ‘wedge issue’, as they did with Brexit. 

How do we hold conversations in this climate of polarisation? How do we engage with people who don’t appear to think like we do without ‘othering’ them and pushing them further away? If you're interested in understanding our current political and social climate better (in relation to our psychically changing climate, join the CPA Explorations team for this special event. Book your spot here. 

The webinar will be hosted by Paul Hoggett and Rachel Cakebread (editors of CPA’s Explorations in Climate Psychology journal) with speakers exploring the theme. There will be plenary Q&As for attendees to ask questions and a break-out with others to discuss the topic more broadly.

 

Date & Time

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00 - 17:00 BST

 

Speakers

The speakers and their short talks are:

Toby Chown: Heavy Weather: Exploring Reactionary States of Mind

Toby is a dramatherapist, clinical supervisor and writer. He is a member of the team that publishes CPA’s Explorations in Climate Psychology journal.

Susanne Moser: Understanding and navigating the shadows of our time: A personal reflection on what’s happening in the US

Susanne’s work in the US over the past 30 years has focused on adaptation to climate change, climate change communication, transdisciplinary engagement at the science-policy interface, and psycho-social resilience.

Chris Shaw: What We (Don’t) Talk About When We Talk About Climate Change: How Class, Silence, and Experience Speak Louder Than Words

Chris works as a consultant specialising in communicating with groups left out of the mainstream climate story and is a Research Associate with the Working Class Climate Alliance.

George Marshall: Melting the poles: finding narratives that overcome political polarisation on climate change.

George is the founder of Climate Outreach and the author of Don't Even Think About It: Why our Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change

 

Further information

 Who is this webinar for?

 Those interested in understanding our current political and social climate better (in relation to our psychically changing climate). We are going to explore challenges faced in communicating with others and inter-relation with our own biases and ability to polarise. The focus is on the psychology of climate communication, but the webinar is intended to be accessible to all.

How will attendees participate?

 There are two plenary question and answers (Q&As) scheduled to put your questions directly to the speakers. There will also be a break out with other attendees, where you can discuss the topics, thoughts and feelings arising for you.

How will the three hours be spent?

• Introductions and initial speakers
• Plenary Q&A

=Break=

• Break-out groups with other attendees
• Final speaker
• Plenary Q&A
• Close

How much will it cost?

CPA Members £30; Non members £50; Concessions £10

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

This event is being held at a cost to raise funds for the Climate Psychology Alliance’s (CPA’s) journal. It is a voluntary member-organised publication that aims to be inclusive of the different ways people are experiencing and engaging with one another on the climate and ecological crisis.

The next issue is open for submission on the theme that Toby Chown will be discussing at the webinar. For more information and to submit an article please see details here.

The published issues of the journal (seven to date) can be accessed here.

Call for Submissions

Explorations in Climate Psychology Issue 8

Heavy weather: Exploring reactionary states of mind

 

We face times characterised by extreme polarisation and conflict. The electoral success of Trump and other populist and authoritarian governments across the world has led to the removal of environmental policies and a doubling down on limitless growth. Climate change is denied or seen as solvable through building bunkers, leaving the planet and other exclusionary tactics.

Although fascism can be a divisive term, Dunt and Lynskey in their exploration of the origins of historical fascism argue:

“At heart what fascism became was both a substitute religion and a conspiracy theory founded on an apocalyptic myth of a decisive battle between good and evil”  Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey

We might see in this psychological pattern a regression to a more paranoid, superstitious and aggressive state of mind that views climate change as a signal of a necessary apocalypse in which the strong or special will be redeemed.

Others point out the contradiction between the deep core of liberal and postmodern values on inclusion and equality and the increasingly unequal social reality we live in, a contradiction which fosters resentment. Taken to its extreme, liberalism can encourage a deep suspicion of all power structures. Add to this our own therapeutic culture’s emphasis on subjective truth and perhaps we are left with a power vacuum and a post truth world where the strongest feelings become king. As Wilber writes of reactionaries:

“Everywhere you are told you are fully equal and deserve immediate and full empowerment. Yet everywhere you are denied the means to achieve it. You suffocate, you suffer and you get very, very mad." Ken Wilber

 

This edition of Explorations will explore reactionary states of mind. We are interested in submissions that explore how environmental thinking can create boundaries of inclusion and exclusion and how by understanding the shadows we cast, psychological thinking can be of benefit in facing our current crises. We also welcome submissions that discuss remedies, ways of working and possibilities that allow us to move beyond binary and polarised thinking.

Submissions in any written form, including short stories and poetry, as well as art will be considered. Answering some of the following questions if you so wish:

1. What characterises reactionary states of mind?
2. What is being reacted to with such violence?
3. How can climate psychologists understand and work with these emotional responses that seem to have become easy targets in politics?
4. What kind of shadow does the environmental movement cast?
5. How does it reclaim its sense of leadership in an atmosphere characterised by suspicion of structures of power?
6. What kinds of approaches, practical, theoretical or creative can we offer to individuals, groups and communities?

 

Please send submissions to Toby Chown (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Rachel Cakebread (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 31 October 2025 or do reach out beforehand if you have any queries or want to discuss a submission.