LA '94 Earthquake in the Eyes of Children: Art Therapy with Elementary School Children Who Were Victims of Disaster

This paper discusses art therapy interventions with latency age children who were victims of the Los Angeles earthquake in 1994. The author worked with 25 children at the site of an elementary school in the area hardest hit by the earthquake and offers clinical observations about issues most relevant to the trauma, symptomatology, and defenses exhibited by children during treatment. In the course of therapy children were encouraged to tell their earthquake story in words and in pictures, to explore their current and repetitive thoughts, and to work through their feelings toward the resolution of the trauma. The use of art was instrumental in accessing children's internal processes and helping them return to normal functioning.