Articles

Abstract:

Climate change is contributing to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events globally. Numerous Australian communities have been affected by severe bushfires, floods, and droughts over the past decades. In response to natural disasters, art therapists should focus on trauma healing, community resilience, while maintaining adaptability and sensitivity throughout the disaster planning and recovery phases. This viewpoint proposes a phased framework (contain, recover, empower) grounded in trauma recovery models and art therapy disaster-based research. Associated implementation considerations are presented to supplement the framework and support art therapists. The proposed theoretical framework aims to promote wellbeing among survivors, foster community-level resilience, and drive climate actions; while providing a foundation for future program design, pilot implementation, program evaluation, and refinement.

Juric, K. (2024). A Creative Disaster Response and Recovery Framework for Supporting Extreme Weather Events Affected Communities. Art Therapy, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2024.2363088