Mental health publication Happiful has announced a collaboration with Therapy Today this November, the flagship magazine of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), for a special release focusing on news anxiety and the psychological impact of global current affairs.
With Issue 116 of Happiful, the publisher says the joint initiative addresses how a continuous cycle of difficult world events affects collective and individual wellbeing, offering readers insights and professional therapeutic guidance.
Drawing on expertise from across the Happiful network, a survey of Counselling Directory members found that 74% of practitioners have noticed an increase in clients struggling with news-related anxiety. The data highlights the timeliness of the collaboration.
The collaboration centres on an editorial content exchange between both titles, added the publisher. Katerina Georgiou, editor of Therapy Today, writes for Happiful. Kathryn Wheeler, acting editor at Happiful, contributes to Therapy Today.
Visually anchoring the collaboration, both publications feature interconnecting cover artwork designed to align when placed side by side, the publisher continued.
Kathryn Wheeler, acting editor of Happiful magazine, comments on the collaboration: “News anxiety is something that affects so many of us, so it feels right to join forces with Therapy Today to try to make sense of it. This collaboration has given us a rare opportunity to explore two sides of the experience: that of those living with news anxiety, and that of those supporting others through it. But perhaps most interesting is where these experiences overlap, with therapists and counsellors who are navigating these feelings themselves, while also supporting others.
“At a time when news anxiety can feel overwhelming, it is my hope that this collaboration offers readers a sense of grounding, while also reminding us of something important: we’re in this together.”
Katerina Georgiou, editor of Therapy Today adds: “It’s not uncommon for therapy practitioners to notice patterns emerge in their practice. In an isolated profession it can be tricky to see if it’s occurring at a wider level. Therapy Today always takes a journalistic deep dive into how topical issues show up in our therapy rooms to support practitioners in best practice around it. When Reuters Institute revealed staggering statistics around news avoidance and news anxiety on a global scale, it felt important to bring this to light: Happiful’s reader survey had unveiled news anxiety as a primary cause for concern for subscribers, while 74% of counselling practitioners noted it coming up in the therapy room, making news anxiety, much like the COVID-19 pandemic, a shared phenomenon for therapists and clients alike.
“The decision to join forces and investigate this trend from a journalistic and practitioner lens has resulted in a comprehensive look into what’s driving the nation to ‘switch off’ and how we navigate guilt around it for the sake of psychological safety. The hope is that through both lenses, wider discussions are opened about how this issue affects us all.”
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