reflection
In this module I explored the cycles of disaster management, effective crisis interventions, and reflected on my role as a creative community artist in the context of crisis and disaster.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross (About Disasters, n.d.) a disaster is a “sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic, or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.” This graphic illustrates the four stages of the disaster management cycle and support the goals of disaster management: reduce or avoid losses from hazards; assure prompt assistance to victims; and achieve rapid and effective recovery (Warfield, n.d.).
As a non-clinical therapeutic creative artist, I may find myself working in the context of crisis or disaster in communities. My strengths will be best utilized in the mitigation and recovery phases of the disaster management cycle. Mitigation involves actions taken before a disaster that minimize the negative effects of a disaster (Warfield, n.d.). In this stage, building individual and community capacity and strengthening protective, or resilience factors are critical.
In the event of disaster, my involvement as a creative artist in the disaster management cycle will also be important in the recovery stage. In this stage, the healing power of the arts will be utilized to restore resilience, facilitate emotional and psychological healing, initiate place-making efforts, and to ensure post-traumatic growth of those affected by disaster. By their nature, the creative arts effectively make accomplishing these goals possible.
Another concept explored in this module is crisis phases and practical intervention models. James and Gillland (as cited in Dass-Brailsford, 2007) define a crisis as, “events or situations perceived as intolerably difficult that exceed an individual’s available resources and coping mechanisms” (p. 94). A distinctive characteristic of crisis interventions are that they are always short-term and are focused on establishing goals regarding specific behaviors that can be achieved within a short time (p. 97).
I see creative artists playing an important role in the integration phase, the final phase, of a crisis. During this time, a victim attempts to make sense of the crisis they experienced (Dass-Brailsford, 2007, p. 100). Creative art experiences, especially ones that involve using art as a metaphor to bring about understanding and healing, can help alleviate feelings of blame and guilt. Individuals who can recognize and identify their assumptions about others and their world that have changed, due to the crisis-related trauma, develop a sense of integration sooner.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross (About Disasters, n.d.) a disaster is a “sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic, or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.” This graphic illustrates the four stages of the disaster management cycle and support the goals of disaster management: reduce or avoid losses from hazards; assure prompt assistance to victims; and achieve rapid and effective recovery (Warfield, n.d.).
As a non-clinical therapeutic creative artist, I may find myself working in the context of crisis or disaster in communities. My strengths will be best utilized in the mitigation and recovery phases of the disaster management cycle. Mitigation involves actions taken before a disaster that minimize the negative effects of a disaster (Warfield, n.d.). In this stage, building individual and community capacity and strengthening protective, or resilience factors are critical.
In the event of disaster, my involvement as a creative artist in the disaster management cycle will also be important in the recovery stage. In this stage, the healing power of the arts will be utilized to restore resilience, facilitate emotional and psychological healing, initiate place-making efforts, and to ensure post-traumatic growth of those affected by disaster. By their nature, the creative arts effectively make accomplishing these goals possible.
Another concept explored in this module is crisis phases and practical intervention models. James and Gillland (as cited in Dass-Brailsford, 2007) define a crisis as, “events or situations perceived as intolerably difficult that exceed an individual’s available resources and coping mechanisms” (p. 94). A distinctive characteristic of crisis interventions are that they are always short-term and are focused on establishing goals regarding specific behaviors that can be achieved within a short time (p. 97).
I see creative artists playing an important role in the integration phase, the final phase, of a crisis. During this time, a victim attempts to make sense of the crisis they experienced (Dass-Brailsford, 2007, p. 100). Creative art experiences, especially ones that involve using art as a metaphor to bring about understanding and healing, can help alleviate feelings of blame and guilt. Individuals who can recognize and identify their assumptions about others and their world that have changed, due to the crisis-related trauma, develop a sense of integration sooner.
references
About Disasters. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/
Dass-Brailsford , P. (2007). Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions. (Chapter 5). Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/14229_Chapter5.pdf
Warfield, C. (n.d.). Disaster management cycle. Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/1-dmcycle.html
Dass-Brailsford , P. (2007). Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions. (Chapter 5). Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/14229_Chapter5.pdf
Warfield, C. (n.d.). Disaster management cycle. Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/1-dmcycle.html