Creative expressive therapy in schools to address childhood trauma: A mixed methods study of a whole school trauma-informed approach

Schools are uniquely placed to support students affected by trauma, but effective support depends on building trauma-informed practices across the whole school community.

This article examines the KidsXpress School Partnership Program, which embeds creative-expressive therapists and trauma-informed consultants within Australian primary schools. The study found improvements in student wellbeing, emotional regulation, coping, confidence and help-seeking, alongside increased staff understanding of trauma-informed practice. However, challenges including staffing constraints and cultural differences around mental health highlight the importance of sustained support and embedding trauma-informed approaches within school systems for lasting change.

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Promoting mental health without pathologising life: A prevention perspective

In Australia and other developed countries, the conversation around mental health has dramatically changed over recent years – more awareness, less stigma, greater help-seeking. However, from this, a question has emerged: Are we increasingly medicalising normal human experiences, such as stress, grief, and sadness?

This article explores whether we have unintentionally created systems that view people’s needs primarily through a medical lens, making diagnosis the main pathway to support, and the effects this can have on individual agency and resilience. The article emphasises the importance of creating systems that can distinguish between low wellbeing and mental illness and connect people with the support they need.

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A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms: What effective elements they have in common?

Schools can play a critical role in supporting young people who have experienced trauma, but with a wide range of interventions available, it can be difficult to know which approaches are most effective.

This review examines 45 studies of school-based trauma interventions and identifies the elements most consistently associated with reductions in post-traumatic stress symptoms. The findings highlight the value of approaches incorporating psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy and coping skills, alongside practical factors such as group-based delivery, trained and supervised facilitators, parental involvement and structured program manuals. Together, these findings provide useful guidance for schools seeking to implement effective, trauma-informed support for students.


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Rates and impact of mental disorders among Australian youth: Prevalence, severity, and trends from two national psychiatric surveys

Mental health among young Australians has changed markedly over the past 15 years. New national data show that the proportion of 16–24-year-olds experiencing a mental disorder in the previous 12 months in Australia rose from 23.4% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2020–2022.

This article explores these changes in more detail, finding particularly large increases in anxiety and mood disorders, alongside rising levels of comorbidity, psychological distress, suicidality and disability. At the same time, substance use disorders declined. The findings highlight not only that more young people are experiencing mental disorders, but that those experiencing them are increasingly likely to experience greater severity and functional impairment.

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