Spiritual%20Resources%20in%20Families%20and%20Family%20Therapy

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Spiritual Resources in Familiesand Family
Therapy

• Samaritan Institute Annual Conference
• August 6, 2011
• Part 2
• Froma Walsh, PhD
• Mose Sylvia Firestone Professor Emerita,
• School of Social Service Administration, The
  University of Chicago
• fwalsh_at_uchicago.edu www.ccfhchicago.org

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Spiritual Resources In Suffering, Healing, and
Resilience
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ResilienceOvercoming Adversity Ability to
rebound from life crises and disruptive life
challenges,strengthened and more resourceful
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Rugged Individual Invulnerable Self-Reliant
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Relational Resilience
Lifelines of Connection
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Huma n An i ma l Bo n d s
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Guardian Angel
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Perhaps they are not stars in the skyBut rather
openings Where our loved ones shine downTo let
us know they are happy And to light our
way ..Native
American
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Strengthening Family ResilienceRelational
Lifelines

• Facilitate coping, adaptation,
• healing, and positive growth
• Through family, community, cultural, and
  spiritual connections

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Facilitating Resilience

• Identify, build resources that help clients to
• Recover from Crisis, Trauma, Loss
• Cope with Multiple, Persistent Stresses
• e.g. chronic illness, poverty conditions
• Navigate Disruptive Life Transitions
• e.g. job loss, separation, divorce, migration
• Overcome Barriers to Thrive
• e.g. At-risk, vulnerable youth

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KEYS TO FAMILY RESILIENCE

• Belief Systems
• 1. Making Meaning of Crisis Challenge
• 2. Positive Outlook Hope
• 3. Transcendence Spirituality
• Organizational Resources
• 4. Flexibility / Stability
• 5. Connectedness Leadership
• 6. Kin, Social, Economic Resources
• Communication Processes
• 7. Clear, consistent messages
• 8. Emotional Sharing Humor / respite
• 9. Collaborative Problem-solving / Proaction

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Belief Systems

• The Heart and Soul of Resilience
• Rooted in family history, culture, religion
• Influence our world view, response to adversity
• 1. Meaning Making
• 2. Positive Outlook Hope Mastery
• 3. Transcendence -- Transformation

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Seeing is believing Western Scientific
perspective We must believe in something To be
able to see it Native American
perspective We do not see things as they are
-- We see them as we are. The Talmud
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1. Meaning Making

• Relational View of Resilience
• Connection, "Lifelines" vs. rugged individual
• Contextualize, Humanize, Depathologize Distress
• Gain Sense of Coherence
• View challenges as
• Meaningful, Comprehensible, Manageable
• Facilitative Appraisal of Situation Options
• Explanatory, causal Why me / Us?
• Future expectations / catastrophic fears/ Agency

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2. Positive Outlook

• Instill Hope Oxygen for the Spirit
• Encouragement Build Confidence
• "Can Do" Spirit
• Focus on Strengths, Abilities Potential
• Active Initiative Perseverance
• Master the Art of the Possible --
• Accept what can't be changed
• Tolerate uncertainty

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Master the Art of the PossibleDo all you
can With what you have In the time you have
In the place you are
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Serenity Prayerin Addictions Recovery God
grant me the serenity to accept the things I
cannot changeThe courage to change what I can
And the wisdom to know the differenceReinhold
Niebuhr
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3. Transcendence

• Larger Values, Purpose
• Spirituality Faith, Practices, Rituals,
  Community
• Inspiration / aspirations
• Envision new possibilities Life dreams
• Creative expression
• Transformation Learning, Change, Growth
• Appreciate life, loved ones deepen / repair
  bonds
• Reassess, redirect life priorities
• Service, Social activism to benefit others / all

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• One by one, day by day,
• Move on from setbacks
• Refuse to give up
• Go confidently towards your dreams.
• Buddhist saying

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Let Nothing Dim the Light that Shines from
Within --Maya Angelou
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Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends
over it and whispers 'Grow, grow'
-- The Talmud
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Do all the good you canBy all the means you
canIn all ways you canIn all places you canTo
all the people you canAs long as ever you
can. -- John Wesley, founder of Methodists
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Our country demonstrated that there are ways
other than violence to deal with difference and
conflict the way of forgiveness, the way of
reconciliation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Nobel Prize Winner
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Resilience of the human spiritThe capacity to
bring out the bestIn the worst of times
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In strengthening resilience, We strive to
integrate the experience of crisis and
adversity -- and our resilient response Into
the fabric of our individual and collective
identity, Influencing how we go on to live our
lives.
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Part 3. Traumatic Loss, Recovery, Resilience
www.wttw.com/shop/justice Jay Shefsky
Producer
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Family Resilience Meta-Framework for Practice

• Shift Focus from Family Deficits, Limitations
• to Strengths, Resources, Potential
• Developmental, Systemic Perspective
• Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Influences
• Family Challenged by Adversity -- timeline
  events
• Family Response Facilitates Adaptation
• of all Members, Relationships
• Relational View of Human Resilience
• Use genogram identify kin, social, community,
• spiritual resources
• Recruit models, mentors for at-risk youth
• Build life-lines, teams, networks

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Family Resilience Meta-Framework for Practice (2)

• Stresses impact family Family coping
  influences adaptation of all members,
  relationships, and family unit
• Contextual View of Distress, Wellbeing,
  Adaptation
• Larger systems workplace, healthcare,
  schools social structures, access to resources
  all important
• Varied Challenges and Pathways in Resilience
• No single model fits all families, resources
  challenges
• Prevention By strengthening resilience,
  families and children become more resourceful to
  meet future challenges.

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Facilitating Family Resilience Practice
Guidelines

• Core Conviction in Strengths, Potential of all
  Youth Families, alongside Vulnerabilities,
  Limitations
• Language, Framing to Depathologize, Humanize
• Contextualize Distress Decrease Shame, Blame
• Compassion for Suffering, Struggle,
  Disappointments, Losses
• Focus on Strengths, Interests, Abilities, Gifts
• View Crisis as Opportunity for Learning
  Positive Change
• Shift Focus from Problems to Possibilities for
• Mastery, Healing, Growth
• Steps toward Future Hopes and Dreams
• Integrate Challenges and Resilience into the
  Fabric of Personal Relational Lives.

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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, spiritual resources
• Re-member persons relationships lost
• Continuing Bonds Spiritual connection, Stories,
  Deeds
• Future orientation renew / revise hopes, dreams

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References
Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening Family
Resilience. 2nd ed. Guilford Press. Walsh, F.
(2007). Traumatic loss and major disaster
Strengthening family and community
resilience. Family Process, 406, 207-227. Walsh,
F. (Ed.). (2009) Spiritual Resources in Family
Therapy. 2nd ed. Guilford. Walsh, F. (2009).
Human-animal bonds I II. Family Process, 48(4)
462-99 Walsh, F. (2010) Spiritual diversity
Multifaith perspectives in family therapy.
Family Process, 49, 330-348. Walsh, F. (Fall
2011). The spiritual dimension of family life. In
F. Walsh (Ed. ) Normal family processes
Growing diversity complexity. 4th ed.
Guilford. Walsh, F. (In press). Religion and
spirituality A family systems perspective. In
K. Pargament, A. Mahoney, E. Shafranske,
(Eds.). APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion,
and Spirituality, Vol. II. Washington, DC
American Psychological Association Walsh, F.
McGoldrick, M. (Eds.) (2004). Living beyond loss
Death in the family. 2nd ed. Norton.