Painting Your Path

Healing After Disaster with Art Therapist & Project HOPE Leader Nadia Paredes

• Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey • Season 5 • Episode 8

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0:00 | 47:15

In this episode of Painting Your Path™, I sit down with Nadia Paredes: art therapist, former president of the American Art Therapy Association, immigrant, mom, and community mental health leader with Project HOPE.  

After losing her son’s school in the Eaton fire, Nadia’s personal and professional worlds collided, leading her back into disaster mental health and community care. She shares how art, creativity, and community can help us navigate grief, shock, and long-term recovery.

Tune in to hear how Nadia thinks about healing after a crisis, what it really looks like a year later, and why she believes we are always “becoming.”

In This Episode, We Touch On:

  • Nadia’s story of losing her son’s school to the fire and how it reshaped her sense of community  
  • Her journey back to disaster mental health work after years in other clinical roles  
  • What art therapy actually is—and how it differs from “therapeutic art” or creative self-care  
  • The mission of Project HOPE and how they’re supporting communities in crisis (including the Eaton fire response)  
  • The idea of vicarious trauma for people working closely with survivors and communities  
  • Simple micro-breaks and self-regulation tools to support your nervous system during stressful times  


📺Watch on YouTube: Tune in here


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