Authors
Francesca Racioppi¹,
¹Head, WHO European Centre for Environment and Health

Over the last decade, extreme weather events in Europe have become more frequent and severe, causing deaths, injuries, and mental health effects, especially in vulnerable groups like children, older adults, and frontline responders. Climate change has become a central political and societal issue, raising questions about long-term decisions and increasing future anxiety, particularly among young people.
A growing body of evidence links climate change to mental health, summarized in a WHO Policy Brief . This brief outlines the connections between climate change and mental health, offering five key recommendations to address these impacts. A central message of this briefing, as well as of a High-Level Dialogue held by WHO/Europe and the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council in October 2024 emphasized that, despite gaps in understanding, current knowledge is sufficient to take action. WHO/Europe has called for case studies to document current actions across Europe. These studies aim to map interventions related to various mental health outcomes (e.g., eco-anxiety), different climate change manifestations (e.g., heat waves), and different population groups (e.g., youth, frontline workers). The proposed intervention will highlight the provisional findings of this call, showcasing efforts at national and local levels to provide mental health and psychosocial support.

Authors
Andreea Apostol¹,
¹Chair of the EMDR Early Psychological Intervention for Crisis and Disasters Committee

In October 2024, an isolated high-altitude depression (DANA) caused torrential rains in eastern Spain, leading to severe flooding, especially in the province of Valencia. The natural disaster resulted in at least 232 deaths and significant material damage, making it one of the worst hydrological catastrophes in Spanish history. Thousands of people were rescued in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to contaminated water and extreme conditions.
Crisis management was hindered by a lack of coordination between the central and regional governments, delaying the arrival of aid and generating public outrage. However, the citizen response was remarkable, with a strong solidarity movement to support the victims. The Spanish EMDR Association and the College of Psychologists of Valencia implemented psychoeducational guidelines, intervention courses, and support lines to address the emotional impact on both the affected individuals and the professionals providing assistance in the disaster zones.

Authors
Susanne Leutner,
Daniela Lempertz

Consultation, acute intervention, EMDR and sustainable care after flood disaster
On July 15, 2021, we, like many others, watched in shock as the news reported a devastating flood disaster in the Ahr Valley (Rhineland-Palatinate) and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As psychotherapists specializing in trauma and EMDR, we immediately recognized the urgent need for psychological support beyond existing structures. That same evening, we contacted colleagues and
decided to take action. Within days, we formed the network Soforthilfe Psyche, quickly organizing support through a newly created email account and website. Our work focused on Hobfoll’s principles: safety, calming, self-efficacy, connectedness and hope.
We covered three Key Areas
1. On-Site Consultations: We offered free crisis intervention integrating special EMDR procedures, widening the window of tolerance and processing acute stress when needed.
2. Therapy and Acute Intervention Placement: Through our network, we connected trauma-experienced EMDR-therapists with flood victims and specific interventions for children and adolescents.
3. Information Groups for Affected Individuals and Professionals: We conducted psychoeducational sessions for all age groups.
Connecting and supporting our Team
We ensured the well-being of our colleagues by offering continuous online meetings, supervision by EMDR Consultants and free trauma training by EMDR Senior Trainers
Lessons Learned & Future Outlook
After one and a half year we concluded our services. Our evaluations showed that low-threshold, quickly available support services are essential and EMDR has a specific place there as well as building up and widening the window of tolerance. Our work highlighted a critical gap: trauma specialists remain difficult to access in acute crises due to structural limitations in the healthcare system. We advocate for better
coordination, improved emergency preparedness, and structural changes to facilitate rapid psychological aid.

Authors
Isabel Fernandez¹,
¹President EMDR Italy Association

EMDR has demonstrated effectiveness in treating chronic PTSD and old trauma memories, yet early EMDR intervention, specially in mass disasters could be of great interest for prevention and intervention in the field of mental health. EMDR can be part of a comprehensive treatment and can become an elective treatment for people who can be exposed when a disaster hits a community.
The presentations will highlight clinical aspects of using EMDR following recent trauma of great magnitude such as natural disasters connected to Climate change. Outcomes of EMDR interventions in different areas, focusing on both natural disasters such as floods will be presented. They will describe throughly the development of individual and group treatments and their connections with the reductions of PTSD symptoms along with the effectiveness of these interventions that are recurrent.
Findings of these intervention in the field in the last years in different European countries suggest that EMDR treatment is a valid early trauma-focused intervention in case of community disasters: it is not only effective in the process of recovery from trauma but it also facilitates the traumatic episode narrative and the normal process of mourning, thus preventing the development of future emotional diseases. Practical guidelines for implementation of EMDR in the acute and chronic phase of trauma after a disaster due to climate change will be provided.