Working from a Strengths Perspective to Promote Resiliency in Children and Families

1. Working from a Strengths Perspective to Promote Resiliency in Children and Families LaVerne Bell-Tolliver, PhD., LCSW, Associate Professor Emeritus UALR School of Social Work, Therapist, HLH Consultants

2. Workshop Description This workshop provides participants with an understanding of the concept of resilience within children and families. We will explore barriers to achieving this construct and identify optimal conditions for building flexibility and adaptability within families. Although this workshop focuses largely on this construct within African American families, application will be offered concerning children and families in other racial and ethnic settings and within other contexts, including substitute care environments.

3. Workshop Objectives By the end of the workshop, participants will… • Become familiar with the definition and description of resilience • Recognize barriers that inhibit or prevent resilience • Become aware of the influence of systemic factors (e.g. family relationships and disruptions, achievement, environmental situations, substance abuse, etc.) on achieving resilience. • Explore protective factors and coping skills that build and increase resilience

4. Definitions & Descriptions of Resilience • Resilience in individuals: The capacity to rebound from adversity, misfortune, trauma, or other transitional crises strengthened and more resourceful’’ (Seccombe, as cited in Bell-Tolliver, Burgess & Brock, 2009). • Family Resilience: The family’s ability to survive and even thrive in the face of adversity and adverse situations. This includes the family system’s ability to positively influence its members to persist during challenging situations (McCubbin, Futrell, Thompson, & Thompson, 1998, p. 329 ).

5. Definitions & Descriptions of Resilience • “A family’s ability to change itself, capability to adapt to a situation, and the ability to change its circumstances and environment. The family is resilient by virtue of its proactive responses to circumstances” (McCubbin, Futrell, Thompson, & Thompson, 1998, p.346)

6. Definitions & Descriptions of Resilience • The protective factor of African American extended families – biological and fictive kin – is seen within the family resilience framework, as kinship care has helped many children remain within the family system (Scannapieco & Jackson, 1996).

7. Assumptions of Strengths Frameworkfor African American Families • African American families have strengths. • The use of those strengths within therapeutic settings can lead to successful outcomes. • Understanding the strengths of African American families can help mental health professionals develop successful treatment outcomes for families. • Professionals who provide services to these families must gain an understanding of how these strengths impact the functioning of African American families to empower those who are struggling. Bell-Tolliver, Brock, & Burgess, (2009).

8. Strengths of African American Families • Extended family • Religion or spirituality • Resilience, which included adaptability* • Hardworking, which also included high achievement expectations • Willingness to seek counseling • Family structure (Bell-Tolliver, 2013)

9. Resiliency Considered in Individuals versus Families Individuals Families The family system is the unit of analysis The experience the family as a system faced and how they handled it as a unit is crucial. Families are considered as being in relationship with other family members Family develops methods for adapting • The person is the unit of analysis • The experience the individual faced and survived is studied • Families are considered in terms of how they help the child during the adverse situation. • Individual adaptation

10. Contemporary Developmental Systems Theory • Integrates Individual and Family Resilience • Considers the process that mutually influence child and other family members. • Explores individual and family adaption • Considers passage of time within family context • Considers adaptation within family, risks & protect factors (Masten & Monn, 2015)

11. Resilience Assessment Level of Functioning • Ability to adapt within family and in external environment (manage change) • Ability of individual family members to develop and maintain effective emotional attachments, maintain balance between distance and closeness, maintain loyalties, yet respect differences of opinion. • Degree of flexibility in meeting normal and adverse situations

12. Other Resiliency Assessment Factors • Race/Ethnicity (racial identity) • Culture (values, beliefs, etc.) • Socio-economic status (income, educational opportunities, etc.) • Environment • Level of Adversity Experience (frequency, intensity, persistence) • Adaptability • Systems of support, use of • The meaning families construct surrounding adverse situations

13. Barriers Preventing Resilience What Hampers Folk from Moving Forward or Bouncing Back?

14. Barriers to Resilience • Family pathology • Disruptions/ separations/violence • Family cut-offs or distance • Child abuse/neglect • Socio-economic (environmental hazards) • Mental health/developmental challenges • Educational distress • Spiritual distance • Lack of emotional supports • Other….. (Saulsberry, Corden, Taylor-Crawford, et al., 2012)

15. Deficit Perspective • Presenting problems • Enmeshed family • Single-parent family – problem • Dependence • Lower SES • Resistant – lack of motivation

16. Barriers to Resilience - RacismPinkie’s Self-Protection Plan At Pulaski Heights, I had to leave me at the door to survive staying in that school. And at the end of the day I would pick myself up from that entry, get in the car to go home. I could not offer myself, my honest, true self at Pulaski Heights.

17. Resilience Framework Assessment Religion/Spirituality Values, behaviors, application to adverse conditions Other Protective Factors & Linkages Culture Adversity Values Expectations Quality of Messages Adaptability Parenting Quality Time

18. Small Group Discussion Instructions: Talk within your small group of 3-4 people about your responses to one of these questions: • How would you describe your level of resilience? • What barriers have you faced that may have hampered your ability to be as resilient as you would like? • What did your family of origin, extended family, educational system, or other do to prepare you to be able to handle adversity? • What do you recall your family doing or saying when they faced difficult situations? • If you have children, what kinds of things are you doing now to build the child’s capacity to become resilient?

19. The Gipson FamilyGROUP ONE John (age 29) and Sharla (age 27) Gipson are an African American couple who lived together for 7 years before marrying two years ago. They have two children together (John, Jr., age 7, & Janice, age 3. John has a son from a previous relationship, Bobby, age 11. John and Sharla both graduated from high school. Sharla attended two years at UALR and pays student loans. The Gipsons are both working and use their car as transportation. They recently learned that John’s public school will be closing and that he will have to transfer to another school farther from their neighborhood school and from the day care. • Identify the potential resilience barriers this family may face. • Identify their strengths. • On a scale of 1-4 (1=low; 2 = mild 3 = moderate; 4 = high) rate their current potential for handling this adversity.

20. The Smith Family James, age 33, and Molly Smith, age 30 are a Caucasian couple who have been married for 5 years. They met as undergraduate students attending UALR, marrying two years after graduation. They have two children, Stephen, age 3,and Sara, age 1. James, a manager of a company where he has been employed for 12 years just learned that his company is downsizing. He is very concerned about the probability that he may have to either find another job or accept a lower salary. Molly returned to her previous position as an accountant and is securely employed. • Identify the potential resilience barriers this family may face. • Identify their strengths. • On a scale of 1-4 (1=low; 2 = mild 3 = moderate; 4 = high) rate their current potential for handling this adversity.

21. Building Coping Skills that Increase Resilience Build on their Foundation

22. Family Resiliency Protective Factors for Toddlers • Family rituals (traditional activities) • Family routines (structured activities or tasks completed by family) • Family rituals and routines, protective factors, contribute to emotional regulation in toddlers (Bocknek, 2017).

23. One Family’s Example of Family Rituals/Traditions A Family Reunion Product

24. Fleming Family creed • God is the head of our family – the source of our strength. • Respect for all creation; live harmoniously and peacefully with it. • Know who we are as African people. • Believe and exercise the values of persistence, determination, and charity

25. Fleming Family creed • Make wise decisions. Learn to discriminate between those aspects of life that will impact one negatively or positively. • With every right, there is an equal responsibility. • Think, and do not give in to peer pressure at any age. • One must set his or her own goals and standards for living. Pursue those diligently.

26. Fleming Family creed • Make excellence our trademark. Do what it takes! • Work actively to support and empower our family, community, and the African nation. • Aid and assist each other in adversity. • Nourish our children with a belief in God and in themselves. • We are no better than anyone else; BUT, no one is better than us.

27. Fleming Family creed • You have to be completely happy and truthful with yourself in order to be happy with the world. • Embrace and participate in the extended family concept. • We also believe that each person should mature into one who practices responsibility and healthy forms of independence, yet realizes that no man is and island and able to do it all alone.

28. Personal check-in: what about your family? What rituals, traditions, or messages are you passing on the values to your future generations?

29. Who is Measured as “Doing Well?” • Individual: Achievement of developmental criteria, given, “criteria important in their culture and time” • Family: Successful completion of important functions within expected developmental life cycle of family. • Responsibilities • Parenting roles/expectations • Preparation of children to adapt – ability of family to adapt to change/adversity • Behaviors of children across developmental span • Family’s contribution/role within the community (Masten & Monn, 2015, p. 8)

30. Desegregation ProjectMeaning Pinkie’s Family Constructed We would hold family meetings...whenever there was a need to have a family meeting so that everybody had the same information at the same time. We were aware as a family that there were some constraints for feeling comfortable wherever we went. So mother and dad did not make that the big target, “There’s going to be unrest when you walk in that door…” But they did focus on, “We’re here for you. You can call us any time.” My parents were very, “What can we do?” instead of “Why can’t we do?” So going to Pulaski Heights was not an assignment, but I knew there was an underlying expectation, “Let’s make this happen.”

31. Equilla: Desegregation ProjectThe support of friends, organizations I had no concept of junior high school. Neither of my parents had gone there. I had no concept. Nobody had told me what to expect. So, I knew that I was going to study. …But, Myrna introduced me to Mrs. Rush ... so I joined Girl Scouts…all Black; and so, a lot of support there. …So that kind of released the stress.

32. What coping skills did these individuals and/or their families utilize to manage their levels of stress?

33. The Casado Family Ms. Juanita Casado Talley (C-T) a 27 year old Mexican American, married Robert Talley, a Caucasian male 30, 14 months ago. They have a three month old child, Belinda. Ms. C-T has an 11 year old daughter, Teresa, who was removed by DCFS for physical abuse by her daughter’s biological father during his visit. Because Ms. C-T had a drug history and conviction five years ago, Teresa was placed into foster care. As of this date, Ms. C-T reports having five years sobriety after receiving treatment during her two year imprisonment. Identify the protective factors this family has or potentially may have. • Identify areas of concern. • Develop a plan to collaboratively increase the family’s level of resilience

34. The Jones Family Janice is a 29 year old first-time Caucasian American mother of three children: John, 7, Jill, 5, and Jane. Each child has a different father. Jane married Jim, age 30, two years ago after having met him two and one-half years ago. They met at the church they each began attending three years ago. Recently John has become irritable, reporting experiencing problems with several children at school, although he refuses to say more. He has withdrawn from playing with Jill and Jane, and has frequent nightmares. Identify areas of concern. Identity possible family protective factors and coping skills. Develop a plan to collaboratively increase the family’s level of resilience

35. A Glimpse of Resilience in an Unlikely Place Prison Reentry

36. Prosocial Relationship Skills Promote Resilience Incarcerated Inmates returning to the free world have a higher probability of remaining free when… • They attend re-entry classes that promote relationship building skills • They have supportive systems in place • Family • Church • Employment • Law abiding neighbors (Bell-Tolliver, Montague & Scudder; Charkoudian, Cosgrove, Ferrell & Flower, 2012)

37. The Effect of the Inmate's’ Incarceration on Family Members Examples of participant responses to the statement, “My family has affected me (positively or negatively) in the following way during the last three months of my incarceration…” • “Positive. They continue to show their love and support, which I truly need.” • “They are preparing for my release. They have opened their hearts and their home. I have a wonderful opportunity at re-establishing my life....” • “My family has been there for me as much as they can in the last three months for my incarceration as much as possible.”

38. The Effect of the Inmate's’ Incarceration on Family Members: Reciprocity “I have affected (positively or negatively) my family during the past three months in the following way through my contacts with them…” • “By writing letters and through visitation and positive encouragement” • “I’ve been able to get close with my daughter and I’ve also been able to show my mom I’ve changed and earn her trust back” • “I’ve been giving my son advice about doing the right things to keep him from being in my situation” • “My daughter and granddaughter made a trip to Indiana with my urging to visit her grandmother.”

39. Closing Comments, Final Questions

40. References Bell-Tolliver, L., ed. (2017) The First Twenty Five: An Oral History of the desegregation of Little Rock’s public junior high schools. University of Arkansas Press. Bell-Tolliver, L. (2013) Introducing Strengths of African American Families into the Therapy Setting. In M. S. Harris (Ed), African American perspectives: Family dynamics, health care issues, and the role of ethnic identity (ch.3). Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Bell-Tolliver, L., Burgess, R. E., & Brock L.J., (2009). African-American therapists working with African American families: An exploration of the strengths perspective in treatment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 35(3), 293-307. Bocknek, E.L. (2017). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 44(4): 702–715 doi: 10.1111/jmft.12293 Charkoudian, L., Cosgrove, B.L., Ferrell, D.P., & Flower, S.M. (2012). The role of family and pro-social relationships in reducing recidivism. Corrections Today, August/September, 94-97. Goldenberg, I., Stanton, M., & Goldenberg, H. Family Therapy, 9th edition. Brooks/Cole Cengage 2017. Masten, A.S. & Monn, A.R. (2015). Child and family resilience: A call for integrated science, practice, and professional training. Family Relations, 64, 5-21. DOI:10.1111/fare.12103.

41. References McCubbin, H. I., Futrell, J. A., Thompson, E. A., & Thompson, A. I., (1998). Resilient families in an ethnic and cultural context. In H.I. McCubbin, E.A. Thompson, A.I. Thompson, & J.A. Futrell (Eds.), Resiliency in African-American families (pp. 329-351). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Saulsberry, A., Corden, M.E., Taylor-Crawford, K. (2013). Chicago urban resiliency building (CURB): An internet- based depression-prevention intervention for urban African-American and Latino adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 22,150–160. DOI 10.1007/s10826-012-9627-8. Published online: 14 August 2012. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Scannapieco, M. & Jackson, S. (1996). Kinship care: The African American response to family preservation. Social Work,41(2), 190-196. CCC Code 0037-8046/96.