resilience in looked after young people
TRANSCRIPT
RESILIENCE
Working positively with Looked
After Young People
RESILIENT CHILDREN
“can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes”
Newman, T (2002)
RESILIENCE
• Normal development under difficult circumstances. Relative resistance to psychosocial risk experiences. Not an individual trait or characteristic .. A range of processes that bring together quite diverse mechanisms (Rutter)
• The human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened and even transformed by life’s adversities and challenges .. a complex relationship of psychological inner strengths and environmental social supports (Masten)
• A good idea with enormous pragmatic value (Hart and Blincow)
FINDING RESILIENCE IN ME
Think of a time in your life when you have struggled to cope with adversity or emotional difficulty in your life and consider ‘what did you think and how did you feel’?Now discuss in your group
• What actions did you take?• Why did they help?
FINDING RESILIENCE IN ME
• Talk to family or friends• Sleep• Eat• Walk away, take time out• Counselling• Educate self about situation• Laugh• Throw self into new stuff• Seek company – or solitude• Realise you have choices• Use own skills positively• Relate to past experience• Break into manageable bits
• Peer support• Positive feedback• Retail therapy• Chocolate• Self expression• Diary writing• Spend time with animals• Take time for yourself• Spirituality• Exercise• Focus on work• Meditation• Medication
Domains of ResilienceDaniel and Wassell
Social competence Secure
base
Education
Friendships
Talents &interests
Positive values
SECURE BASE
• Provide appropriate responses to attachment style• Anticipate and rehearse problems• Respond to young person’s distress but also reach out to them• Communicate acceptance• Provide time and space to talk about loss and separation• Care needs to be predictable• Always be reliable• Ensure special rituals are maintained on birthdays and other
celebrations• Keep mementoes • Do things together
EDUCATION
• Show that learning can be fun• Seek connections between learning & life • Model positive attitudes towards learning• Give responsibility at school• Help with problem-solving skills• Identify skills and talents, encourage their
development, engage school in same • Focus on successes at school• Advocate for and champion young person’s
education
FRIENDSHIPS
• Social skills training on friendships • Role play• Help young people to see what they can offer to
their friends• Help with the notion of intimacy especially for those
who have been sexually abused• Offer advice about jealousy, gossip etc• Peer support programmes on listening and
counselling skills • Given message of the importance of friendships
TALENTS AND INTERESTS
• Be persistent and tenacious in supporting talents and interests
• Offer a range of choices of things to do• Encourage plenty of physical activity• Help young person to understand cause and
effect• Consider what you can learn from the young
person and celebrate it• Share activities • Capture moments on camera
POSITIVE VALUES
• Discuss normal dilemmas• Focus on the reasons for action• Listen and take an interest in the young
person• Praise pro-social activities• Require responsibility• Provide good role models• Provide clear rules and boundaries• Be sincere• Expect responsible behaviour
SOCIAL COMPETENCE
• Promote autonomy in decision-making• Provide help with problem solving• Help young person to build competence
through small steps towards self-efficacy• Provide lots of attention • Help young person to develop a sense of
purpose and future
RESILIENCE IN THE CHILD
• being female• secure attachment experience• an outgoing temperament as an infant• good communication skills, sociability• planner, belief in control• humour• problem solving skills, positive attitude• experience of success and achievement• religious faith• capacity to reflect
RESILIENCE IN FAMILIES
• At least one good parent-child relationship• Affection• Clear, firm consistent discipline• Support for education• Supportive long term relationship/absence
of severe discord
RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITIES
• Wide supportive network• Good housing• High standard of living• High morale school with positive policies
for behaviour, attitudes and anti-bullying• Schools with strong academic and non-
academic opportunities• Range of sport/leisure activities• Anti-discriminatory practice
7 ‘LEARNABLE’ SKILLS OF RESILIENCE
Emotional awareness or regulation Ability to identify what you are feeling and manage feelings appropriately
Impulse control Ability to tolerate ambiguity and not rush decision making
Optimism Optimistic explanatory style - wed to reality
Causal analysis Ability to view difficulties from a number of perspectives, and consider many factors
Empathy Ability to read and understand the emotions of others. Helps build relationships with others and gives social support
Self-efficacy Confidence in your ability to solve problems - involves knowing your strengths and weaknesses
Reaching Out Being prepared to take appropriate risk - a willingness to try things and view failure as part of life.
RESILIENT THERAPY: 4 NOBLE TRUTHS• Accepting : the art of maximising what you know
and then applying it to the situation at hand to achieve a better than expected outcome
• Conserving: keeping something within boundaries and preserving the good things that are within it
• Commitment: reliability and predictability – considered and balanced
• Enlisting: orchestrating the right people and organisations into the right place to make resilient moves when and where they need to be made
5 COMPARTMENTS
• Basics• Belonging• Learning• Coping• Core self
BASICS
• Good enough housing• Enough money to live• Being safe• Access and transport• Healthy diet• Exercise and fresh air• Play and leisure opportunities• Being free from prejudice and discrimination
BELONGING
• Tap into good influences• Find somewhere for the child to belong• Responsibilities and obligations• Help the child to make friends• Make sense of where the child has
come from• Get together people the child can count
on• Help the child understand his/her place
in the world
LEARNING
• Make school life work as well as possible
• Engage mentors for children• Map out career/life plan• Help the child to organise him/herself• Highlight achievement• Develop life skills
COPING
• Understanding boundaries and keeping within them
• Being brave• Solving problems• Fostering interests• Self calming/soothing• Lean on others when necessary
CORE SELF
• Instil a sense of hope• Teach the child to understand other people’s
feelings• Help the child to know him/herself• Help the child to take responsibility for
his/herself• Foster talents• There are tried and tested treatments for
specific problems – use them
SUGGESTED READING
Resilient Therapy: Hart, A and Blincow, D (2007) RoutledgeAssessing and promoting resilience in vulnerable children: Daniel, B and Wassell, S (2002) Jessica KingsleyPromoting resilience –Supporting children and young people who are in care, adopted or in need: Gilligan, R (2009) BAAFHandbook of resilience in children: Goldstein, S and Brooks, R eds. (2005) Kluwer Academic