Trauma Informed Practice: Resiliency

According to the NCTSN, a Trauma-Informed Child and Family Service System includes focusing on promoting resiliency and protective factors. This means maintaining a balance of focusing on the child’s strengths as well as the negative impact of trauma exposure.
- What is resilience?
  - The ability of child to recover and show early and effective adaptation after a potentially traumatic event
  - The ability for a child to respond to the event with minimal distress or impact on daily functioning
  - Caregivers may see a temporary dip in ability to cope followed by early and effective return to a child’s usual functioning
- What makes adults uniquely effective at the promotion of resilience?
  - Early identification of trauma exposure in youth and ability to promote and enhance natural strengths
- What factors might promote resilience after exposure to a traumatic event?
- What factors might promote resilience after exposure to traumatic event?
  - External:
    - Support from parents, friends, school, and community (e.g., strong relationship with caregiver/adult)
    - Resources that buffer negative consequences
    - Feeling safe at home, school, and/or community
  - Internal:
    - Heightened self-esteem and self-worth
    - Sense of self-efficacy
    - Meaning in one’s life (e.g., spiritual or cultural beliefs)
    - Talents or skills in certain areas (e.g., art, sports)
    - Adaptive and flexible coping skills