Medical publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., US, has announced the launch of a new peer-reviewed journal, Ecopsychology. Thomas Joseph Doherty, Psy.D., Graduate School of Education and Counseling, Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR), will serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the first issues of which will appear in Spring 2009.
Ecopsychology will explore the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and well-being. The journal will examine the psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic aspects of human-nature relationships, concern about environmental issues, and responsibility for protecting natural places and other species. It seeks to provide a forum for international dialogue among experts from a range of disciplines including psychology and healthcare; environmental conservation, sociology, anthropology, and environmental studies; and related areas such as ecology, landscape restoration, eco-spirituality, and social and environmental justice movements.
The premier issue will include provocative articles such as 'Mindfulness and Sustainable Behavior: It Isn't Effortless Being Green,' 'Nature and Self: An Ambivalent Attachment,' 'Too Many People: Psychology, Population, and the Environment,' and 'Cohabitating with the Wild.' Future issues will encompass how to balance environmental and sustainability concerns with lifestyle choices and religious, societal, and cultural practices; 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; effective ways to motivate sustainable behaviors; coping with anxiety or grief about environmental destruction; and spiritual and cultural practices that support a healthy environment.
