Dr Chloe Watfern

Dr Chloe Watfern

Senior Research Associate
Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
Social Policy Research Centre

Dr Chloe Watfern is senior research associate in the Vitalities Lab at the Centre for Social Research in Health and the Social Policy Research Centre. She is also a postdoctoral fellow in the AKT Lab at the Black Dog Institute, and a conjoint lecturer in the UNSW School of Population Health. Chloe is experienced in qualitative research, co-design and arts-based methods, working with schools, community organisations, health professionals and policy partners across Australia and internationally. She is particularly interested in how climate emotions and more-than-human relationships shape wellbeing, and in developing practical tools that build resilience, care, and collective agency. 

For her art and writing, visit: https://www.chloewatfern.com/

  • Books | 2024
    Watfern C, 2024, HOW ART WORKS: Stories from Supported Studios, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003466703
  • Book Chapters | 2025
    Boydell KM; Macdonald D; Vaughan P; Watfern C, 2025, 'CREATIVITY, ARTS, AND THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE: Case exemplars', in Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, pp. 165 - 176, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003429814-16
    Book Chapters | 2025
    Boydell KM; Macdonald D; Vaughan P; Watfern C, 2025, 'Creativity, arts, and the mental health of young people', in Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, Routledge, pp. 165 - 176, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003429814-16
    Book Chapters | 2025
    Boydell KM; Vaughan P; Kalucy M; Larsen M; Watfern C; Macdonald D, 2025, 'ARTS AND THE MEDIA – SPACE 22: Television-based arts interventions for better mental health', in Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, pp. 362 - 378, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003429814-32
    Book Chapters | 2025
    Boydell KM; Vaughan P; Kalucy M; Larsen M; Watfern C; Macdonald D, 2025, 'Arts and the media – Space 22', in Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, Routledge, pp. 362 - 376, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003429814-32
    Book Chapters | 2025
    Vercammen A; Vaughan P; Watfern C, 2025, 'Understanding and enhancing cultural ecosystem services through art', in Routledge Handbook of Cultural Ecosystem Services, pp. 243 - 255, http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003414896-24
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Adams K; Boué S; Watfern C, 2022, 'Being together in a neurodiverse world: Exploring with Project Art Works', in Big Anxiety Taking Care of Mental Health in Times of Crisis, pp. 239 - 249
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Watfern C; Bennett J; Habak S; Boydell K, 2022, 'Edge of the present: Mixed reality, suicidality and future thinking', in Bennett J (ed.), The Big Anxiety: Taking Care of Mental Health in Times of Crisis, Bloomsbury Academic, London & New York, pp. 28 - 37, https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/big-anxiety-9781350297791/
  • Journal articles | 2026
    Watfern C; Vaughan P; Boydell K, 2026, 'Care in the climate crisis: A collage', Journal of Applied Arts and Health, 17, pp. 103 - 115, http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jaah_00218_3
    Journal articles | 2025
    Dadich A; Watfern C; Doran B; Boydell K, 2025, 'Thinking and Caring With Arts-Based Research: An Assemblage of Methods to Promote Public Health', International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/16094069251381707
    Journal articles | 2025
    Dunk J; Watfern C; Falco C; Gillespie S; Monaghan G; Rhodes P; Vercammen A, 2025, 'Navigating family systems in climate catastrophe: An open dialogue', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 46, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anzf.70002
    Journal articles | 2025
    Vaughan P; Watfern C; Doran B; Dadich A; Habak S; Boydell K, 2025, 'Working in (and between) art and health: Challenges and missteps', Medical Humanities, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2025-013316
    Journal articles | 2025
    Watfern C; Carnemolla P, 2025, 'Inclusive Climate Action: A Scoping Review on the Representation and Inclusion of People With Intellectual Disability in Climate Change Research', British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53, pp. 428 - 445, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bld.12632
    Journal articles | 2025
    Watfern C; Gillespie S; Stone J; Falco C; Wilson C; Igoe G; Vercammen A; Doolan B; Rhodes P; Dunk J, 2025, 'Climate Distress and the Practice of Connection: A Dialogical and Poetic Approach to Ecopsychology', Ecopsychology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/19429347251382554
    Journal articles | 2025
    Watfern C; Watson M; Doran B; Vaughan P, 2025, 'A sad tree: visualising ecological emotions through bodies in place', Visual Studies, 40, pp. 361 - 370, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2024.2328603
    Journal articles | 2025
    Watson D; Hogg T; Crandon T; Vercammen A; Watfern C; Aruta JJB; Charlson F; Lawrance EL, 2025, 'Conceptualizing Young People's Experiences of Climate Change Awareness: A Narrative Review', Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1554, pp. 45 - 65, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70114
    Journal articles | 2024
    Dadich A; Vaughan P; Watfern C; Triandafilidis Z; Habak S; Boydell KM, 2024, 'Growing and fostering knowledge translation: Recommendations for health organisations from the SPHERE Envisionarium', Heliyon, 10, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36817
    Journal articles | 2024
    Macdonald D; Watfern C; Boydell KM, 2024, 'How not to talk about it: Using digital storytelling with children with anxiety', Methods in Psychology, 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.metip.2024.100159
    Journal articles | 2024
    Watfern C; Macdonald G; Elliot M; Stone L; Gilmore I; Wallace S; Tecson M; Turk N; Bingham P; Mears J; Dadich A; Doran B; Boydell K, 2024, 'Craftivism as Inquiry: Holding Life's Threads', Qualitative Report, 29, pp. 183 - 205, http://dx.doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6007
    Journal articles | 2022
    Carter A; Strnadová I; Watfern C; Pebdani R; Bateson D; Loblinzk J; Guy R; Newman C, 2022, 'The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Young People with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review', Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19, pp. 372 - 390, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00549-y
    Journal articles | 2022
    Vaughan P; Watfern C; Triandafilidis Z; Doran B; Dadich A; Disher-Quill K; Maple P; Hickman L; Elliot M; Boydell K, 2022, 'Coalescing/Crosspollinating/ Crystalising: Developing and evaluating an art installation about health knowledge’', Qualitative Health Research, 33, pp. 127 - 140, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10497323221145120
    Journal articles | 2021
    Dadich A; Boydell KM; Habak S; Watfern C, 2021, 'Positive organisational arts-based youth scholarship: Redressing discourse on danger, disquiet, and distress during COVID-19', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115655
    Journal articles | 2021
    Scott L; Watfern C, 2021, 'Becoming an artist and sharing my story', British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49, pp. 287 - 292, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bld.12397
    Journal articles | 2021
    Watfern C; Doran B; Dadich A; Triandafilidis Z; Habak S; Boydell KM, 2021, 'The HIVE: a co-created art installation about health', Public Health, 193, pp. 26 - 28, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.12.007
    Journal articles | 2021
    Watfern C, 2021, 'Thom Roberts Reads Crowns: Musing on Art and Neurodiversity through the Lens of One Artist’s Practice', Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal, 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.18432/ari29546
    Journal articles | 2021
    Watfern C, 2021, '“Thom Roberts is an artist and a country express train”. Commentary on “Community participation as identity and belonging: a case study of Arts Project Australia. “I am an artist”” (Anderson & Bigby, 2021)', Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 8, pp. 15 - 20, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23297018.2021.1899847
    Journal articles | 2019
    Watfern C; Heck C; Rule C; Baldwin P; Boydell KM, 2019, 'Feasibility and acceptability of a mental health website for adults with an intellectual disability: Qualitative evaluation', Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21, http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/12958
  • Preprints | 2024
    Watfern C; Carnemolla P, 2024, Inclusive Climate Action: A Scoping Review on the Representation and Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability in Climate Change Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4015326/v1
    Conference Presentations | 2021
    Wehbe A; Moad S-A; Tomaszewski P; Macdonald D; Watfern C; Scott L; Butler K; Thorburn K; Waks S; Fisher K; O’Shea P, 2021, 'Great expectations - inclusivity in disability research - policy meets practice', presented at Australian Social Policy Conference 2021, UNSW SPRC (online), 25 October 2021 - 05 November 2021, https://www.aspc.unsw.edu.au/4c-great-expectations-inclusivity-disability-research-policy-meets-practice
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Watfern C, 2019, 'A Supported Studio', presented at International Conference on The Arts in Society, Lisbon, Portugal, 19 June 2019 - 21 June 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Watfern C, 2019, 'Lisa Scott: Taking control through writing and making art', presented at Australian Society for Intellectual Disability Conference, Adelaide, 06 November 2019 - 08 November 2019
    Conference Presentations | 2018
    Heck C; Watfern C, 2018, 'Healthy Mind: An online easy read tool for building good mental health', presented at Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine Conference, Sydney, 06 September 2018 - 07 September 2018
    Preprints | 2018
    Watfern C; Heck C; Rule C; Baldwin P; Boydell KM, 2018, Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mental Health Website for Adults With an Intellectual Disability: Qualitative Evaluation (Preprint), http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/preprints.12958
    Conference Posters | 2018
    Watfern C; Mooney S; Anderson B, 2018, 'Shape Constancy and Symmetry', presented at Australian Psychological Society Congress, 27 September 2018 - 30 September 2018
    Creative Written Works | 2018
    Watfern C, 2018, Best friends going through a tunnel: Thom and Angelmouse, Overland Literary Journal, https://overland.org.au/2018/07/best-friends-going-through-a-tunnel-the-art-of-thom-and-angelmouse/
    Conference Presentations | 2018
    Watfern C, 2018, 'Thom Roberts reads crowns', presented at AAANZ Conference, RMIT University, Melbourne, 05 December 2018 - 07 December 2018
    Creative Written Works | 2017
    Watfern C, 2017, Space of Mind: An Interview with Dawn-Joy Leong, Runway: Australian Experimental Art, http://runway.org.au/space-of-mind-an-interview-with-dawn-joy-leong/
    Preprints |
    Watfern C; Triandafilidis Z; Vaughan P; Doran B; Dadich A; Disher-Quill K; Maple P; Hickman L; Elliot M; Boydell K, Coalescing/ Cross-Pollinating/ Crystalising: Developing and Evaluating an Art Installation about Health Knowledge, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4297616