Complementing humanitarian staff care with arts-based initiatives? Viewpoints from in-house mental health professionals

Over the past decade, research on the mental health of humanitarian staff has gained momentum, prompting organizations to increasingly support and invest in workers’ mental health and well-being. However, many of the existing initiatives—such as one-on-one talk therapy—are grounded in Euro-American traditions. These approaches may not align with the cultural frameworks or preferences of all staff, potentially leaving significant segments of the workforce underserved. Furthermore, challenges related to team cohesion are difficult to address within current staff care structures. Against this backdrop, arts-based initiatives (ABIs) may present a promising complementary approach but remain largely overlooked in humanitarian staff care practice and research. This qualitative study explores the viewpoints of eight in-house mental health professionals (MHPs) currently or previously working for humanitarian and development organisations—a key but hard-to-reach study population—on complementing existing staff care services with ABIs, such as music-making, visual arts, and dance. Data generated through semi-structured online and in-person interviews were analysed using thematic analysis to examine perspectives regarding potential benefits, design considerations, and anticipated challenges related to implementing ABIs in humanitarian workplaces. Three themes reflecting MHPs’ perspectives emerged from the analysis. Overall, MHPs supported introducing ABIs as complementary services. They emphasized what they perceived as the unique potential of these initiatives to enhance well-being, bridge cultural divides, and foster a sense of community, ultimately contributing to a more positive work environment. However, MHPs also underscored the importance of tailoring ABIs to the specific contexts in which they are implemented, requiring carefully designed interventions to prevent unintended negative outcomes. Amongst others, they identified accessibility and buy-in from senior management as key factors for a successful and sustainable rollout. Further research is needed to systematically explore staff preferences, participation factors, integration models, as well as, at a later stage, the effectiveness of ABIs for this occupational group.