Narrative Eco-Therapy During Matrescence May Help Mothers Transform Climate Distress into Ecological Awakening: Results from a Five-Week Intervention

This paper presents findings from a pilot study of a five-week feminist psychoeducational group developed for mothers experiencing eco-distress during matrescence, the developmental shift of motherhood. Weekly journaling prompts served as narrative provocations to catalyze reflection and identity transformation in a case study of five mothers. Rather than a clinical or therapeutic intervention, this study tested a scalable, consciousness-raising format grounded in developmental principles of relational growth, eco-feminist psychology, and narrative therapy principles. Thematic analysis of participants’ journals identified five core themes in eco-maternal identity development: nature relatedness, paradoxical emotions, ecological questing, intergenerational commitment, and environmental stewardship. By externalizing eco-distress and reframing and reconstructing narratives about their relationship to nature, participants articulated a more integrated ecological self. These findings suggest that structured narrative reflection, situated in a developmental and feminist framework, may be a promising pathway for supporting maternal well-being and ecological engagement in the face of climate crisis.