Art as an Effective Tool for Healing in Refugee Crisis

Playing to Live (PTL) has built an innovative mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) solution to address the gap in care for displaced South Sudanese refugees living within settlements in Uganda. Our collaborative impact model offers a solution combining evidence based mental health practice, expressive arts therapy, and community engagement.

In South Sudan, the three-year conflict has placed 8 million people in need. In the past 12 months, over 700,000 South Sudanese have fled to Uganda; the majority being unaccompanied minors and women. Childhood trauma caused by displacement, war, and loss of loved ones has been found to affect individuals over a lifetime. The effect can span from social development and economic success to the functioning and development of the brain. Research has shown that programs utilizing therapeutic art focused on relationship and self-esteem building can significantly influence a child's recovery after exposure to trauma. 

PTL builds sustainable and effective community-based expressive arts programs that target the psychosocial needs of children and communities impacted by trauma. PTL is grounded in the belief that communities have the human resources to support children through their traumatic experiences. We believe that through collaboration, training, programmatic support, and the engagement of community leaders significant healing from trauma can be facilitated. 

PTL is currently finalizing a needs and resource assessment in four key refugee settlements across the Western and Northern Regions of Uganda in order to evaluate where a PTL pilot program will be most effective. We have received overwhelming support from refugees, local communities, district and national government officials, national and international NGO’s, and United Nations programs and specialized agencies including UNICEF and UNHCR.

We believe the development and implementation of a PTL pilot program, developed from lessons learned during previous programs and partnerships and the current site-specific needs and resource assessment, will lead to a positive community impact within the context of the Sudanese refugee crisis. Additionally, we believe the PTL model will continue to develop with each pilot program as our knowledge of treating trauma in low resource, high-trauma communities continue to grow with the shifting MHPSS needs of the global sector.

PTL has created a model and approach that addresses trauma within contexts of public health crisis or conflict, where our solutions are built upon early intervention aimed to reduce the prolonged effects of untreated trauma. The techniques are derived from theories of play and art therapy, where the individuals are empowered to process and address stress factors through play, exploration and freedom of expression. Additionally, we feel our solution must be tailored to the crisis we are addressing, so while we have established a core model, each program is tailored for culture, environment, available resources, and need. 

PTL began as a MHPSS response to the Liberian Ebola epidemic. Funded by UNICEF and with collaboration from the Liberian government and our in-country partner, PTL implemented a full-scale program that focused on community participation to address trauma. PTL’s programming significantly reduced psychological stress symptoms of 860+ children. PTL is using this model as a response to the refugee crisis in Uganda. We believe that by engaging the community through critical conversations, building a program through their participation, and training local implementers, we will not only reduce the impact of trauma on children but also the community as a whole.

PTL's programming focuses on using art and play as a tool to rebuild relationships, increase self-esteem, and build coping skills. First, programming will facilitate psychological healing and act as a barrier towards the development of short- and long-term responses to trauma for the child participants. Second, PTL's community-based program development and implementation model will empower the community to recognize the impact of trauma, act as active participants to create solutions, and ultimately reduce stigma in the community. Third, due to the focus on building skills and training facilitators within the community, an increase of MHPSS services and capacity will occur. 

Pre, mid, and post psychological evaluation - Statistically significant reduction of trauma stress symptoms in child participants

Quantitative and qualitative data analysis of focus groups pre, mid, and post programming. - Increased knowledge of mental health within the community and statistically significant reduction on stigma of mental health

Evaluation of skills gained through training and programming implementation for program facilitators - Increased mental health service capacity within community

Through our experience and research, though it is often overlooked, mental health can have a severe effect on communities and individuals on all levels. Research has shown the positive impact of art and expression on social, emotional, psychological, and neurological levels. Culture, art, and expression are naturally present within communities globally. PTL is building an effective, sustainable, and culturally specific program that uses the foundational techniques of expressive art therapy, which can be ethically implemented through a non-clinician. Key to this work, PTL programming is developed by licensed and practicing expressive therapists who work in both clinical and non-clinical capacities. 

Everything about our solution is human-centered. We believe that, while the core of our program is based on proven mental health techniques through research and practice, the success of this program is 100% dependent on the buy in, collaboration, and implementation of the community.

Playing to Live's goal is to share relevant information gleamed from our processes, lessons learned, and outcomes. We seek to be transparent across our work and will publish this information in academic journals, present at conferences, and share the information through our website and media outreach. As an organization, PTL is committed to working collaboratively to make a difference in the lives of the children, families, and communities we serve. 

PTL partners with organizations who have established programming and staff focused on children or adolescents within the community setting. Through a collaborative partnership with the organization and community, PTL builds MHPSS programming to coincide with the organization's current programming so that additional program costs are minimal and the services can be sustained through the established organization.

Currently PTL is actively fundraising in the private sector and seeking government and non-government grants to secure funds for PTL's team for the development and support of  program development, implementation, research, and a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation process.

While we have been fortunate to connect with major MHPSS actors through our current needs and resource assessment across four refugee settlements in Uganda, we are still limited in the diversity of our research capacity and team. Funding for PTL’s development team is the principal barrier. While we are actively writing grants and meeting with potential major donors, our impact is limited until we are able to secure funding that can ensure a longer operational timeline that allows capacity building and ongoing connections to donors who relate to our work on a local and global scale. 

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While PTL has a strong team of specialists in expressive arts, public health, and monitoring and evaluation, we believe our solution would benefit from collaborating with a diverse set of change makers. We believe our solution can be integrated into a multitude of environments and that our solution can support other emergency and development initiatives including such as livelihood, education, and peace building. We are limited by what we don't know, and we would love continue to learn with others for a greater impact. Additionally, we strongly believe there is much to gain from learning through other’s processes and research. 

The Danish Refugee Council in Uganda is our collaborating partner for our current needs and resource assessment (March 1, 2017 – August 31, 2017). 

At the time we do not view any organization as a competitor.