Strengthening Family Resilience Facilitating Healing & Positive Growth From Adversity Centro di Psicologia e Analisi Transazionale Milan, Italy ~ June 25, 2012 Froma Walsh, PhD Co-Director, Chicago Center for Family Health Firestone Professor Emerita, The University of Chicago
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Strengthening Family Resilience Facilitating Healing & Positive Growth From Adversity Centro di Psicologia e Analisi Transazionale Milan, Italy ~ June.
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Strengthening Family Resilience Facilitating Healing & Positive Growth
From Adversity
Centro di Psicologia e Analisi TransazionaleMilan, Italy ~ June 25, 2012
Froma Walsh, PhD
Co-Director, Chicago Center for Family HealthFirestone Professor Emerita, The University of Chicago
More than Surviving: Ability to ThriveTransformation
Crisis = Challenge + Opportunity
!
Varied Images of Resilience ~
Popular view: “Just Bounce back!”
~ “A tree that bends in the stormbut does not break”
~ “Suffering that is deep but not without hope”
~ “Fall down 5 times; get up 6 times!”
Many Varied Pathways in Resilience: Positive Development ~ Future Life Vision
Myth:
The Rugged Individual
Invulnerable
Self-Reliant
“We encourage people to rescue themselves”
Studies of Resilient Youth: Models and Mentors
Resilience is Nurtured in Relationships:
To thrive,
Individuals need “Relational Lifelines”:
Supportive Bonds, Models & Mentors who:
Believe in their Worth and Potential Draw out, Affirm Strengths, Abilities Inspire Hopes and Dreams Encourage Best Efforts See Failures as Opportunities for Learning, Growth Celebrate Successes
Nourishing Bonds
Relational Resilience:
Mutual Support
Identify and Draw on Extended Family Resources
Guardian Angel
Multigenerational Family Tree
Family Photos, Stories of Resilience
Bonds with Companion Animals
Pet Role -- Child Resilience in Family Transition
Strengthen:
Family Community Cultural&SpiritualResources
Strengthening Resilience: Relational Lifelines
~~~~~~~~~~Facilitate coping and positive growth
Through Vital Connections: Family network
Social and community Cultural and Spiritual
Family Resilience
Team Effort CollaborationMutual Support Leadership
Walsh Family Resilience Framework
Integrates 3 decades of research on resilience & effective family functioning to inform, guide clinical & community-based services, prevention programs
Identify & strengthen key family processes & multi-systemic resources for coping, adaptation, and positive growth
Use in Community-based settings; wide range of applications, formats: – Family Consultation; Brief Counseling; Family Therapy– Multi-family Groups; Workshops; Community Forums
Family Resilience
Strengths & Resources for Families to Thrivein the face of Adversity
Rebound from Crises Navigate Disruptive Changes
Weather Multi-stress Conditions Overcome Obstacles to Success
Chicago Center for Family HealthResilience-Oriented Program Applications
– Recover from Crisis, Trauma, Loss• Traumatic Loss; Community Disaster • Refugees; War-related trauma; Military families
– Navigate Disruptive Life Changes• Migration; Separation / Divorce; Foster Care
Inspiration: Envision New Possibilities– Aspirations: Role Models, Life dreams – Invention; Innovative Solutions – Creative Expression--writing, art, music
Transformation: Learning, Change, & Growth– Redirect life priorities; deepen bonds– Compassion Acts to Benefit Others
• Service, activism, social justice
Spirituality: a Dimension of Human Experience
We are Bio-psycho-social-spiritual Beings
~~~~~~~~~~
Streams of influence flowing through all aspects of lifeo Family & Cultural Heritage o Transcendent Beliefs, Spiritual Practices, Community
Within or outside religion: we can express:o humanistic values, nature, the arts, social action
Fosters Meaning, Wholeness, Harmony Deep Connection within Self & With all Others Influences Suffering; Promotes Healing & Resilience
Family Organization Relational Shock Absorbers
4. Flexibility -- to change, Adapt Provide Stability --Structure, Reliability
• No single model fits all families, their values, situations, & challenges
Prevention: • By strengthening resilience, families and their members become more resourceful to meet future challenges.
Facilitating Family Resilience : Practice Guidelines
• Core Conviction in Strengths, Potential of all Families, alongside Vulnerabilities, Limitations
• Language, Framing to Depathologize, Humanize
• Contextualize Distress; Decrease Shame, Blame
• Compassion for Suffering, Struggle, Losses
• View Crisis as Opportunity: Learning, Healing, & Positive Growth
• Shift Focus from Problems to Possibilities for Mastery, Thriving, Relational RepairSteps toward Future Vision: Hopes and Dreams
• Integrate Challenges and Resilience into the Fabric of Personal & Relational Lives.
Guidelines to Facilitate Healing, Resiliencefrom Complicated or Traumatic Loss
Start by grounding in their family, community,
cultural, & spiritual connections. Invite them to share their loss experience. Offer compassionate witnessing of recent (&
ongoing) losses, hardships, or injustices suffered. Draw out, affirm strengths in coping efforts; Link with kin, community resources Re-member persons & relationships lost;
Let nothing dim the light that shines from within ~ Maya Angelou
ThePowerOfConnection
In strengthening resilience,
We strive to integrate the experience
of adversity-- and our resilient response –
Into the fabric of our individual and shared identity,
Influencing how we go on to live our lives.
“A hero is one who doesthe best of thingsin the worst of timesSeizing every opportunity.”
--Joseph Campbell
References
Walsh, F. (2006 / 2011). Strengthening Family Resilience. (2nd ed.) Guilford.Walsh, F. (Ed.). (2009). Spiritual Resources in Family Therapy. (2nd ed.) Walsh, F. (2012). Normal Family Processes: Growing Diversity & Complexity.
4th ed. Guilford. Walsh, F. (2007). Traumatic loss and major disaster: Strengthening family
and community resilience. Family Process, 46, 207-227.Walsh, F. (2003). Family resilience: A framework for clinical practice. Family
Process, 42 (1),1-18Walsh, F. (2009). Human-animal bonds: I. The relational significance of companion animals. Special section, Family Process, 48(4) 462-480.
Walsh, F. (2009). Human-Animal bonds: II. The role of pets in family systems and family therapy. Special section, Family Process 48(4), 481-499.
Walsh, F. (2010). Spiritual diversity: Multifaith perspectives in family therapy.Family Process, 49 330-348.
Walsh, F. & McGoldrick, M. (Eds.).(2004). Living Beyond Loss (2e.) Norton.
Walsh, F. (2011). Family resilience: A collaborative approach in response to stressful life challenges. In S. Southwick, D. Charney, B. Litz, & M. Freedman, (Eds.) Resilience and mental health: Challenges across the life span. (pp. 149-161). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Walsh, F. (2011). Resilience in families with health challenges. In M. Kraft-Rosenberg, & S.-R. Pehler, (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Family Health, (895-899).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Walsh, F. (2011). Facilitating Family Resilience: Relational resources for positive youth development in conditions of adversity. In M. Ungar (Ed.) The social ecology of resilience. Springer.
Walsh, F. (2012). Successful aging and family resilience. In B. Haslip & G. Smith (Eds.) Emerging Perspectives on Resilience in Adulthood and Later Life. New York: Springer.
Walsh, F. (In press). Community-based practice applications of a family resilience framework. In D. Becvar (Ed.), Handbook of familyresilience. New York: Springer.