Psychological First Aid principles within a community-led arts initiative: lessons from the Blacksmiths' Tree

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is widely used in the early phases of disaster recovery, despite limited empirical evidence supporting its application. PFA aims to reduce distress and encourage adaptive coping and is grounded in five principles: the promotion of hope, self- and collective efficacy, social connectedness, safety, and calm. Drawing on a constructivist perspective, this study analysed interview transcripts from Forged from Fire: The Making of the Blacksmiths' Tree, a documentary film about a community-led arts project initiated after the 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Using a reflexive process that employed deductive and inductive coding, the research investigated the presence of PFA principles in participants' experiences of the Blacksmiths' Tree project and whether themes not accounted for by PFA were also salient. The findings supported the PFA principles and generated two additional themes: grassroots and community leadership; and healing through creation and expression. The implications for disaster recovery in community settings are also presented.