Innovative Practice Applications: Strengthening Family Resilience in Crisis and Prolonged Adversity

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Innovative Practice Applications Strengthening
Family Resilience in Crisis and Prolonged
Adversity

• Froma Walsh, PhD
• Mose Sylvia Firestone Professor
• School of Social Service Administration
• Department of Psychiatry
• University of Chicago
• fwalsh_at_uchicago.edu
• www.ccfhchicago.org

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ResilienceThe ability to withstandand rebound
from disruptive life challenges,strengthened
and more resourceful
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Family Resilience Practice Approach

• Family Systems Theory Research
• Family Stress Theory Coping, Adaptation
• Family Developmental / Life Cycle Framework
• Research on Resilience
• Trauma Studies Post-traumatic Growth
• Compassion Fatigue Vicarious Resilience

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Family Resilience Framework for Practice /
Prevention

• Relational View of Human Resilience
  Lifelines vs. Rugged Individual
• Shift from Deficit View of Families Challenged
  by Adversity
• Tap Resources Potential for Repair Growth
• Developmental Systemic Theory
• Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Influences over life
  course, generations
• Stresses impact family Family response
  influences adaptation
• of all members, relationships, family unit
• Contextual View of Crisis, Symptoms / distress,
  Wellbeing, Adaptation
• Larger systems (workplace, healthcare)
  Overcome / Remove barriers
• Use Genogram Timeline
• Link Symptoms Crisis Events, Pile-up of
  Stresses
• Adaptational Challenges Vary over Time
  Immediate, Longterm
• Varied Pathways in Resilience No single model
  fits all

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Innovative Practice ApplicationsChicago Center
for Family Health

• Community-based training, services, partnership
  programs
• Strengthen family resilience to
• Recover from Crisis, Trauma, Loss
• Facing death healing from loss violence, sexual
  abuse
• Major disasters-- Recovery Posttraumatic Growth
  
• Master Multiple, Ongoing Challenges
• Chronic Illness, Disabilities
• Conditions of Poverty, Discrimination
  Multi-stressed Families
• Navigate Disruptive Life Transitions
• Migration, refugee experience -- Bosnian /
  Kosovar projects
• Job Loss / Workplace dislocations
• Divorce, Step-family Integration
• Overcome Barriers to Success
• Family-school partnership for at-risk /
  vulnerable youth
• Bounce forward to meet new life challenges

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Family Community Resilience Approachwith
Catastrophic EventsTraumatic Loss Major
Disasters

• Mental Health Field Focus on individuals,
  symptoms of PTSD
• Family Community Resilience Approach
• Facilitate recovery and positive growth through
• family, community, cultural, and spiritual
  resources
• Multi-family groups - share information mutual
  support
• Community Forums, Gatherings, Rituals,
  Creativity
• Encourage active coping -- collaboration
  coordination
• Involve youth and elders--all contribute
• Identify families needing more intensive
  therapeutic services
• Walsh, F. (2007) Traumatic loss and major
  disasters Strengthening family and community
  resilience. Family Process, 46 (2), 207-227.

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• Walsh Family Resilience Framework
• Integrates 2 decades of research on resilience
  and effective family functioning to inform, guide
  clinical practice, community services, prevention
  programs, social policy
• Identify and strengthen key family processes
  multi-systemic resources for coping, adaptation,
  and positive growth
• in the context of crisis and/or prolonged
  adversity
• Walsh, F. (2006) Strengthening Family Resilience.
  2nd ed. New York Guilford Press.
• Walsh, F. (2003) Family resilience A framework
  for clinical practice. Family Process, 42, 1-18.

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Key Processes in Family Resilience

• Belief Systems
• 1. Making Meaning of Crisis, Adversity
• 2. Positive Outlook Hope
• Master the possible
• 3. Transcendence, Spirituality
• Organization
• 4. Flexibility / Re-Stabilize, reorganize
• Strong Leadership, coordination
• 5. Connectedness -- Lifelines - Mutual Support
• 6. Social, Economic, Institutional Resources
• Communication
• 7. Clarify Situation, Options
• 8. Open Emotional Sharing Respite Humor
• 9. Collaborative Problem-solving / Proaction

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Belief Systems

• Rooted in family, cultural worldview
• How clients view their adverse situation future
  possibilities
• Resilience is facilitated by
• Making meaning of adversity
• Gaining a positive outlook Hope
• Transcendence spirituality

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Meaning-Making

• Normalize, Contextualize Distress
• Depathologize symptoms of distress
• Understandable, common in adverse experience
• Gain Sense of Coherence
• View crisis as shared challenge
• Comprehensible, manageable, meaningful
• Appraise Crisis Situation
• Causal, explanatory attributions
• Why us? How could this happen?
• Future expectations / catastrophic fears /
  options
• What will happen to us? What can be done?

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Positive Outlook

• Hope Optimistic Bias
• Confidence in overcoming challenges
• En-courage
• Affirm Strengths Build on Potential
• Active Initiative Perseverance
• Master the Possible
• Accept what can't be changed
• Live with uncertainty

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Transcendence Spirituality

• Larger Values, Purpose Ethical Compass
• Spirituality Faith, Practices, Rituals,
  Community
• Inspiration / Aspirations
• Envision new possibilities Life dreams
• Role Models
• Family / cultural stories of overcoming
  adversity literature
• Creative expression / invention
• writing, art, music, science
• Transformation Learning, Change, Growth
• out of adverse experience
• Appreciate life, loved ones strengthen bonds
• Assess, focus, redirect life priorities
• Concern, social action / advocacy to help others

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Organizational Patterns

• Family Shock Absorbers

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Flexibility

• Capacity to Change Bounce Forward
• Rebound, Reorganize, Adapt to fit new challenges
• Stability to Buffer Disruption
• Continuity, Structure, Routine, Reliability
• Strong Leadership Nurture, Guide, Protect
• Children Vulnerable Members
• Varied family forms Cooperative Parenting /
• Care-giving Teams
• Couple Relationship Equal Partners

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Connectedness

• Mutual Trust, Support, Collaboration,
  Commitment
• Respect Individual Needs, Differences
• Varied Pathways in Adaptation, Resilience
• Seek Reconnection, Reconciliation
• with Estranged Kin, Community,
• Cultural Roots, Heritage

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Social Economic ResourcesLifelines

• Mobilize Extended Kin Social Support
• Recruit Mentors for Youth
• Link to Vital Community Networks
• Build Financial Stability, Security
• Institutional Structures, Programs
• To reduce risk, barriers
• To support, sustain family resilience

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Communication Processes

• Facilitating Adaptation

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Clarity

• Clear, Consistent Messages
• Clarify Ambiguous Information
• About crisis, adverse situation, expectations,
  options
• Truth seeking / truth speaking
• Vs. secrecy, denial, distortion

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Open Emotional Expression

• Share Range of Feelings
• Joy sorrow, suffering, anger, fears
• Mutual Empathy
• Tolerance, respect for differences
• Pleasurable Interactions Humor
• Respite

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Collaborative Problem-solving

• Creative Brainstorming Resourcefulness
• Identify Stressors Constraints / Options
• Share Decision-making Manage Conflicts
• Negotiation, fairness, reciprocity
• Repair hurts, misunderstandings
• Focus on Goals Take Concrete Steps
• Build on Success Learn from Mistakes
• Be Proactive
• Preventives steps Avert crises
• Prepare for future challenges Plan B

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• Froma Walsh, PhD fwalsh_at_uchicago.edu
  www.ccfhchicago.org
• Walsh, F. (2007) Traumatic loss and major
  disasters Strengthening family and
• community resilience. Family Process, 46 (2),
  207-227.
• Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening Family
  Resilience. 2nd Ed. New York Guilford.
• Walsh, F. McGoldrick, M. (Eds.) (2004). Living
  Beyond Loss Death in the Family. 2nd Ed. New
  York W.W. Norton.
• Walsh, F. (Ed.) (2003). Normal Family Processes
  Growing Diversity and Complexity. 3rd ed. New
  York Guilford.
• Walsh, F. (Ed.) (1999/2003) Spiritual Resources
  in Family Therapy. New York Guilford Press.
• Walsh, F. (2003) Family resilience A framework
  for clinical practice. Family Process, 42, 1-18.
• Walsh, F. (2002). Bouncing forward Resilience
  in the aftermath of September 11. Family
  Process, 41(1), 34-36.
• Walsh, F. (2002). Family resilience Innovative
  practice applications. Family Relations, 51(2),
  130-137.
• Walsh, F. (1996). The concept of family
  resilience Crisis and challenge. Family
  Process, 35 26-281.