Transcript Slide 1

Fostering Resiliency in Clients
Monica Hinton MSW, RSW
ACSW Annual Conference 2009
Outline
• Introduction
• Your needs
• Check-in with own
beliefs
• My vision
• Resiliency defined
• Research
• Resiliency tools
• Conclusion
What do you hope
to get out of this
workshop?
What to expect from me…
Hope to accomplish
the following:
• To define resiliency
• To look at the
research
• To give concrete
ways of fostering
resiliency in clients
Lean on Me clip
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWW4K
ogocfQ
Beliefs Check-In: Group Work
• What is your initial
reaction to this clip?
• How are we, as social
workers, like Morgan
Freeman?
• What resonates with you
RE his speech & how our
clients have been treated by
agencies/organizations/
others?
Vision…
“If we think we are fragile
& broken, we will live a
fragile, broken life.
If we believe we are
strong & wise, we will
live with enthusiasm &
courage. The way we
name ourselves colours
the way we live.”
Wayne Muller
What is resiliency?
• Resiliency is not
something fixed, concrete
• The very definition
(engineering): bouncing
back
• If rigid, a bridge would
collapse in an earthquake
• It’s the going back & forth
from vulnerability to
resiliency; that’s essence
of the phenomenon
• Bamboo—balance b/w
flexibility & rigidity
Emmy Werner & Ruth Smith
Research
• Resiliency research: body of
international, cross-cultural,
lifespan, developmental
studies
• Followed children born into
seriously high-risk conditions:
mentally ill, alcoholic, abusive,
or criminal parents, or in
poverty-stricken communities.
• Findings (long term studies):
at least 50%, often closer to
70%, of youth growing up in
these high-risk conditions:
developed social competence
despite exposure to severe
stress & did overcome the
odds to lead successful
lives.
Research
• When viewing distressing
pictures, resilient students
reacted the same as nonresilient
• fMRI shows: Resilient college
students were better at 'letting
go' of distressing images than
their non-resilient counterparts
• The difference: how they
stopped the negative
emotional reaction after it had
been seen
• Resiliency can be modeled, &
it's never too late to begin
• Praise effort & perseverance &
have unconditional emotional
support, context, & redirection
toward the future
(Fredrickson & colleagues 2004)
My Research Study
• Research question: What fosters
resiliency?
• Qualitative, Grounded Theory
Research Study
• Exploratory (went in ‘blind’)
• In-depth interviews with self-defined
resilient individuals over 30
• Childhood trauma of sexual abuse
before age 12
• Limitations (geography, time, # of
participants, etc)
• Applicability (reinforced past research
findings)
Grounded Theory:
Strategies for Addressing the Phenomenon
Regulating traumatic
experience
Enlisting NB indiv/
pets
Spirituality
Humour
Selfpreservation
Self-direction
Regulating the
Traumatic
experience
‘Unhealthy’
strategies
Imagination/
fantasy
Intelligence
Nike clip
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae3tFI8wXE&feature=player_embedded
15 minute
BREAK
Runner clip
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU3jfbb
172E
It is our genetic
makeup/our biological
need for growth,
which emerges
depending on our
environment
We are all born with the
capacity to develop
the traits found in
resilient individuals
Resilient Traits
Social competence (responsiveness, cultural flexibility,
empathy, caring, communication skills, & a sense of
humour)
Problem-solving (planning, help-seeking, critical &
creative thinking)
Autonomy (sense of identity, self-efficacy, selfawareness, task-mastery, & adaptive distancing from
negative messages & conditions)
Sense of purpose & belief in a bright future (goal
direction, educational aspirations, optimism, faith, &
spiritual connectedness)
(Benard, 1991)
“Protective factors" (characteristics that alter/reverse potential
negative outcomes) consist of three broad categories:
1.Caring relationships
convey compassion, understanding,
respect, & interest, are grounded in
listening, & establish safety & basic
trust
2. High expectation messages
communicate not only firm guidance,
structure, & challenge but, convey a
belief in the client's innate resilience;
look for strengths & assets as opposed
to problems & deficits
3. Opportunities
for meaningful
participation & contribution
include having opportunities for valued
responsibilities, for making decisions,
for giving voice & being heard, & for
contributing one's talents to the
community
(Benard, 1991)
Erik Erikson, Urie Bronfenbrenner, Jean Piaget, Lawrence
Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Rudolf Steiner, Abraham Maslow, and
Joseph Chilton Pierce
At the core of each approach
is an assumption:
The self-righting nature of the
human organism unfolds
naturally in the presence of
certain environmental
attributes
Stated simply by Maston,
"When adversity is relieved
& basic human needs are
restored, then resilience
has a chance to emerge"
(1994)
The major implication for
practice:
• If we hope to nurture
socially competent people
who have a sense of their
own identity, who are able
to make decisions, set goals,
& believe in their future…
PRIMARY FOCUS must be
meeting their basic
human needs for
respect, caring,
connectedness,
challenge, power, &
meaning
Rocky clip
• http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseac
tion=vids.individual&videoid=4821062
Do you have the conditions in your life that
research shows help people to be resilient?
People bounce back from tragedy, trauma, risks &
stress by having the following conditions in
their lives. The more times you answer yes, the
greater the chances you can bounce back from
life's issues.
How many do you have:
1. Caring & Support
o
o
o
Several people in my life give me unconditional love, listen nonjudgmentally, &
who are "there for me"
I am involved in school/work/ faith/other group where I feel cared for & valued
I treat myself with kindness & compassion, & take time to nurture myself
(including eating well & getting enough sleep & exercise)
2. High Expectations for Success
o
o
o
Several people in my life let me know they believe in my ability
I get the message "You can do it," at work/school
I believe in myself, & give myself positive messages about my ability—even when
I encounter difficulties
3. Opportunities for Meaningful Participation
o
o
o
My voice (opinion) & choice (what I want) is heard & valued in my close personal
relationships
My opinions & ideas are listened to & respected at work/school
I volunteer to help others or help a cause in my community/faith
organization/school
How many do you have:
4. Positive Bonds
I am involved in 1 or more positive after-work/after-school hobbies or
activities
o I participate in 1 or more groups (i.e. a club, faith community, or sports
team) outside of work/school
o I feel "close to" most people at my work/school
o
5. Clear & Consistent Boundaries
Most of my relationships have clear, healthy boundaries (includes mutual
respect, personal autonomy, & each person in the relationship both giving &
receiving)
o I experience clear, consistent expectations & rules at my work/in my school
o I set & maintain healthy boundaries for myself by standing up for myself, not
letting others take advantage of me, & saying "no" when needed
o
6. Life Skills
I have (& use) good listening, honest communication, & healthy conflict
resolution skills
o I have the training & skills I need to do my job well/do well in school
o I know how to set a goal & take the steps to achieve it
o
YOUR OWN RESILIENCY
1.
Think about the reasons that you are a resilient person.
2.
What are the struggles & challenges you have faced in the past/currently face?
How did you overcame these difficulties:
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3.
How can you use these same things in the future when you are dealing with
issues? What can you do that has worked in the past?
4.
What barriers do you think stand in the way of our clients being resilient? What
ideas do you have about how we can change these barriers?
What did you do?
What beliefs about yourself/others guided you?
Who helped you; how did they help?
What else helped you?
Resiliency In Action; Nan Henderson, MSW; www.resiliency.com
PERSONAL RESILIENCY BUILDERS
Individual Qualities that Facilitate Resiliency
Relationships:
Sociability/ability to be a friend/ability to form positive relationships
Humour:
Has a good sense of humour
Inner Direction:
Bases choices/decisions on internal evaluation (internal locus of control)
Perceptiveness:
Insightful understanding of people & situations
Independence:
"Adaptive" distancing from unhealthy people & situations/autonomy
Flexibility:
Can adjust to change; can bend as necessary to positively cope with situations
Love of Learning:
Capacity for & connection to learning
Self-motivation:
Internal initiative & positive motivation from within
Competence:
Is "good at something"/personal competence
Self-Worth:
Feelings of self-worth & self-confidence
Spirituality:
Personal faith in something greater
Perseverance:
Keeps on despite difficulty; does not give up
Creativity:
Expresses self through artistic endeavour
Positive View of Personal Future: Optimism, expects a positive future
Using a Strengths-Based Model
Philosophy:
Essential to remember
person in front of you:
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possesses assets,
resources,
wisdom &
other internal & external
strengths
about which you probably
know nothing
You Can Best Help Yourself or Someone
Else Be More Resilient by...
1. Communicating the Resiliency Attitude: "What is right with you
is more powerful than anything that is wrong with you.“
2. Focusing on the person's strengths more than issues/
weaknesses.
Ask, "How can these strengths be used to overcome issues/problems?"
3. Providing for yourself or another the conditions listed in The
Resiliency Quiz.
4. Having patience... successfully bouncing back from a significant
trauma or crisis takes time.
Resilience building comes by way
of example…
1. Teach & model empathy to yourself
2. Listen carefully to you & your needs
3. Notice & comment on what you're doing right;
develop a tolerance of your mistakes
4. Make yourself feel special & appreciated &
communicate self-acceptance
(Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide)
Message Through Metaphor:
There was a king who owned a large, beautiful, pure diamond. One
day, this diamond accidentally sustained a deep scratch. The
king called in the most expert diamond cutters & offered them a
great reward if they could remove the imperfection from his
jewel. Not one could remove the blemish.
The king was distressed. After some time, a gifted craftsman
came to the king & promised to make the rare diamond even
more beautiful than it had been. The king was impressed by his
confidence & entrusted the precious stone to his care.
The man kept his word…he engraved a lovely rosebud around the
imperfection, using the scratch to make the stem.
When life bruises & wounds us, we can use the scratches to
etch a portrait of beauty & charm.
Jacob Kranz
List of Resources/Good
web sites
• www.resiliency.com
• www.resiliencybuilder.com (Calgary site)
• www.mindtools.com
• www.life-happens.ca
• www.mheccu.ubc.ca
• www.resiliencycenter.com
• www.aidsalliance.org/sw2389.asp
• www.projectresilience.com
Questions?
Thank you for your participation today.
Experiential Learning
• Activities