Art therapy is an effective tool for working with both adults and children coping with trauma because it bypasses the disconnection trauma can cause between memories of the event and the verbal regions of the brain. Recently, it has been used to treat children affected by large-scale disaster events.
When responding to an overseas disaster, it is imperative that physicians and organizations match services and donations to the specific needs of the situation, avoid the duplication of efforts, behave with humility toward the host country, and approach all efforts collaboratively.