Together We Heal: Art Therapy Workshops for Wildfire-Impacted Families

Wildfire relief

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Wildfire-impacted families face complex trauma that extends beyond the loss of homes. Life-threatening events leave lasting psychological wounds—including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief—that affect every family member differently and persist long after the flames are gone. While traditional disaster relief focuses on meeting immediate physical needs, psychological recovery remains a critical gap. Families must navigate housing, insurance, and rebuilding their lives while coping with grief and fear. Many experience isolation, disrupted sleep, hypervigilance, and difficulty adjusting to new environments. Without trauma-informed care, these psychological impacts can lead to long-term mental health issues and inability to integrate into new communities. Together We Heal addresses this by providing accessible, culturally responsive art therapy that helps families process their trauma, develop healthy coping skills, and rebuild emotional and community connection.

Led by trained social workers (LCSWs and MSWs),Together We Heal is a trauma-informed art therapy program that will support up to 48 wildfire-impacted families (estimated 190-210 individuals) across four cohorts from October 2025 to October 2026. Each cohort will attend five 2-hourweekly, bilingual art therapy workshops led by licensed mental health professionals trained in Psychological First Aid. Activities will include accessible visual arts projects designed to regulate the nervous system, express emotion safely, and promote connection within families and peer groups. Participants will receive portable art kits to continue healing practices at home. Workshops will be hosted at LA Y centers and community centers near the Eaton and Palisades fire areas, with targeted outreach to displaced and underserved families. Each cohort will complete pre- and post-surveys measuring emotional safety, coping confidence, family communication, and community connection. In total, 20 workshops will be delivered by bilingual, trauma-informed mental health professionals. This initiative fills a critical gap in wildfire response by addressing emotional recovery needs that persist long after immediate relief ends.

If successful, Together We Heal will model how creative, trauma-informed care can strengthen post-disaster recovery. Families who felt isolated and destabilized will gain emotional tools, strengthened resilience, and supportive bonds with others who share similar experiences. By addressing psychological healing alongside housing and financial needs, we ensure that families don’t just survive wildfires, but they rebuild with emotional stability and stronger community ties. Participants will carry forward creative coping skills, improved family communication, and increased confidence in navigating future adversity. In the long-term, this approach can become part of LA County’s emergency response toolkit, helping communities prepare for and recover from disasters with care that centers the whole person and the whole family.