Resilience is not a personal trait that individuals do or do not possess (thus, the term “resiliency” is best avoided because it connotes an individual characteristic), but rather a product of interacting factors—biological, psychological, social, and cultural—that determine how a child responds to traumatic events
2. Definition…..
Reducing the effects of significant adversity on
children’s healthy development is essential to the
progress and prosperity of any society. Science
tells us that some children develop resilience, or
the ability to overcome serious hardship, while
others do not.
Resilience is not a personal trait that individuals
do or do not possess (thus, the term “resiliency”
is best avoided because it connotes an individual
characteristic), but rather a product of interacting
factors—biological, psychological, social, and
cultural—that determine how a child responds to
traumatic events
Over time, the cumulative impact of positive life experiences and
coping skills can shift the fulcrum’s position, making it easier to
achieve positive outcomes.
3. Some Research Findings…..
• The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and
committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult.
• Children who do well in the face of serious hardship typically have a biological resistance to
adversity and strong relationships with the important adults in their family and community.
• Learning to cope with manageable threats is critical for the development of resilience.
• The capabilities that underlie resilience can be strengthened at any age.
• Research has identified a common set of factors that predispose children to positive outcomes in
the face of significant adversity.
facilitating supportive adult-child relationships
building a sense of self-efficacy and perceived control;
providing opportunities to strengthen adaptive skills and self- regulatory capacities
mobilizing sources of faith, hope, and cultural traditions.
4. What enables some people to bounce back from
challenges while others crumble in a crisis?
PERMA Model
• Developed by Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology
• Contains five factors to help you build resilience and wellbeing
• POSITIVE EMOTIONS
• ENGAGEMENT
• (POSITIVE) RELATIONSHIPS
• MEANING
• ACCOMPLISHMENT
• THE BOTTOM LINE?
• People who adopt and live by these five concepts have been shown to do better at university,
excel even after setbacks in sports, are less likely to experience depression or post traumatic
stress
5. PERMA
• POSITIVE EMOTIONS
• Positive emotions like happiness have an obvious connection to wellbeing. When we
feel positive emotions we perform better, we respond more helpfully in our
relationships, and we are more willing to hope for the best future, and to take risks
to achieve that future.
• ENGAGEMENT
• Psychologists call that experience “flow” - a state of being fully engaged with a task
and, according to Seligman, engagement is one of the five crucial building blocks of
wellbeing.
• (POSITIVE) RELATIONSHIPS
• We struggle with our wellbeing when our relationships are destructive, draining,
one-sided, or we are just isolated. However if your relationships make you feel
supported, included, understood and cared for, you have set yourself up for a
lifetime of wellbeing.
6. PERMA
• MEANING
• Seeing and working towards a meaning that is bigger and more important
than just your own happiness is also important.Having a purpose to your life
brings satisfaction, even if working towards that purpose does not directly
bring positive emotion, flow, or any of the other building blocks of wellbeing.
• ACCOMPLISHMENT
• The final building block that allows humans to flourish is accomplishment,ora
sense of mastery over something. Gaining mastery over something is
important for its own sake, even if the accomplishment is not linked to any of
the other building blocks of wellbeing.
7. Trauma-informed Care to Build Resilience to
ChildhoodTrauma
• Children who are exposed to traumatic life events are
at significant risk for developing serious and long-
lasting problems across multiple areas of development
Childhoodtraumaoccurswhenachildexperiencesanactualorthreatenednegative
event,seriesofevents, or set of circumstances that cause emotional pain and
overwhelm the child’s ability to cope.
8. Impact
A considerable body of research demonstrates that children suffer
the most severe, long-lasting, and harmful effects when trauma
exposure begins early in life, takes multiple forms, is severe and
pervasive, and involves harm by a parent or other primary
caregiver—often referred to as complex trauma.
9. Resilience to Childhood Trauma
• There are always opportunities to support positive developmental trajectories among children, even if
they have experienced trauma.
• Ecological Approach to Resilience
• It assumes that there are multiple levels of influence on a child’s development—the individual,
parent, family, school, community, and culture—which may increase or decrease a child’s risk for
and response to experiencing trauma.
• These various influences are often referred to as risk and protective factors.
10. Risk and Protective Factors
Risk
• Risk factors are circumstances, characteristics,
conditions, events, or traits at the individual,
family, community, or cultural level that may
increase the likelihood a person will experience
adversity
• Risk factors for specific types of trauma may
vary, but commonly include living in poverty, a
lack of social supports, and prior history of
trauma.
• The presence of risk factors or membership in
a high-risk group does not necessarily mean
that a child will experience trauma or its most
adverse effects
Protective
• Protective factors can buffer children from risk
and improve the odds of resilient functioning.
• Protective factors are characteristics,
conditions, or events that promote healthy
development and minimize the risk or likelihood
a person will experience a particular illness or
event, or its related negative outcomes
• Research shows that the strongest protective
factor linked with resilience to childhood trauma
is the reliable presence of a sensitive, nurturing,
and responsive adult.[
11. Protective factors that promote Resilience to Childhood Trauma
• Support from family, friends, people at school, and members of the
community
• A sense of safety at home, at school, and in the community
• High self esteem and positive sense of self-worth
• Self-efficacy
• Spiritual or cultural beliefs, goals, or dreams for the future that
provide a sense of meaning for a child’s life
• A talent or skill in a particular area
• Coping skills that can be applied to varying situation
12. TIC
• TIC…..an approach
• Children are far more likely to
exhibit resilience to childhood
trauma when child-serving
programs, institutions, and service
systems understand the impact of
childhood trauma, share common
ways to talk and think about
trauma, and thoroughly integrate
effective practices and policies to
address it
13. The Four Rs
Realize The widespread nature of childhood trauma and how it impacts the child’s emotional,
social, behavioral, cognitive, brain, and physical development, as well as their mental
health. In addition, adults must be aware of the influence of trauma on family members,
first responders, service providers, and others who may experience secondary stress
(trauma-related reactions to exposure to another person’s traumatic experience
Recognize Recognize the symptoms of trauma, including how trauma reactions (i.e., symptoms of
posttraumatic stress) vary by gender, age, type of trauma, or setting. In addition, the adults
in children’s lives must understand that a child’s challenging behaviors are normal, self-
protective, and adaptive reactions to highly stressful situations, rather than viewing that
child as intentionally misbehaving
Respond By making necessary adjustments, in their own language and behavior, to the child’s
environment; and to policies, procedures, and practices to support the child’s recovery and
resilience to trauma.
Resist Re-
traumatization
By actively shaping children’s environments to avoid triggers (sounds, sights, smells,
objects, places, or people that remind an individual of the original trauma) and protect
children from further trauma, which can exacerbate the negative impacts of trauma and
interfere with the healing process.
14. Essential Components of TIC
• Providing adults (staff, leadership, families, and community
partners) with training and professional development on
childhood trauma is an important component of
implementing TIC.
• Although it is a critical component of TIC, training staff and
parents on the impact of childhood trauma is not sufficient
and does not in and of itself constitute TIC. TIC must also
include comprehensive, ongoing professional development
and education for parents, families, school staff, out-of-
school program staff, and community service providers on
jointly addressing childhood trauma.
• TIC also means attending to the psychological and physical
safety and well-being of the adults who care for children
who have experienced trauma. Professionals, parents, and
other caregiving adults may suffer secondary traumatic
stress (trauma-related reactions to exposure to another
person’s traumatic experience)
15. Resilience guide for parents and teachers
• Make Connections
• Help your child by having them
help others
• Maintain a daily routine
• Take a break
• Teach your child self-care
• Move toward your goals
• Nurture a positive self view
• Keep things in perspective and
maintain a hopeful outlook
• Look for opportunities for self
discovery
• Accept change