First Aid Arts
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Mission Statement
We equip trauma care providers with arts-based tools and training. Our vision is to create a world where wounded hearts heal beautifully. Medical first aid saves lives. But as human beings we have more than physical wounds. We need holistic care that addresses our body, mind, spirit and relationships. First Aid Arts provides evidence-based creative arts programs to bring hope and healing to the hearts of trauma survivors.
About This Cause
We live in a beautiful world, but it’s also a world of tragedy and trauma. Following a devastating flood, earthquake, or act of war, there are not enough doctors and hospitals to care for the sheer volume of survivors. For this reason medical first aid exists to train a larger body of lay care providers who, with minimal training and supplies, can save lives and stabilize survivors until they are able to see a doctor if still necessary and available. As human beings, we have more than physical wounds. Following tragedy, survivors need access to mental health and psychosocial support. There are simply not enough trained counselors for the job. Additionally, in many cultures, talk-therapy is an alien approach and proves unhelpful. Furthermore, our current understanding of trauma and neuroscience teaches us that the parts of the brain needed to record and process verbally are off-line during traumatic events. Our bodies keep the score, and the parts of the brain that the arts engage are the centers of the brain that need to be engaged post trauma. The global community needs evidence-based, trauma-informed services to strategically care for survivors of natural disasters and human abuses. Organizations caring for trauma victims rely heavily on lay counselors and community members to supplement the services provided by a limited number of trained professionals. Safe, affordable and scalable resources are needed to address both survivor needs and staff self-care to counteract vicarious trauma and mitigate compassion fatigue. The Healing Arts Toolkit Program is based on a curriculum and accompanying materials kit that has been designed to be used by trained professionals as well as lay counselors and community members. The program provides the necessary trauma-informed framework to move arts-based activities into intentional opportunities for expression, healing and recovery. The activities facilitate the development of core skills and resiliencies with those who have experienced trauma. These include emotion regulation, self awareness, and healthy interpersonal relationship skills. The Healing Arts Toolkit Program is suitable for those serving trauma survivors domestically and internationally. Special attention has been paid to cultural contexts in the development of the program. Arts-based interventions provide a unique opportunity for trauma work across cultures, particularly where talk therapy may be considered less appropriate or even unhelpful. In brief, the Healing Arts Toolkit Program is a cost-effective, culturally sensitive, evidence-based resource that can be used by lay care providers to offer hope and healing to millions of people who need help but will likely never have access to a professional counselor. It’s first aid for the heart, using the universal language of the arts.