A Strength-Based Approach To Assessing and Building Resiliency in High Risk Youth

1. A Strength-Based Approach To Assessing and Building Resiliency in High Risk Youth Presenter: Wayne Hammond, Ph.D. Resiliency Canada November 21, 2006

5. � If we think we are fragile and broken, we will live a fragile, broken life. If we believe we are strong and wise, we will live with enthusiasm and courage. The way we name ourselves colors the way we live. Who we are is in our own eyes. We must be careful how we name ourselves.� Wayne Muller

6. From Deficit to Resiliency The Deficit/Risk Model Historically, the social and behavioural sciences have followed a problem-focused approach to studying human and social development. As a result, the helping community has been preoccupied with the deficit or at-risk paradigm for understanding and serving children in trouble and their families.

7. Deficit Thinking Specialty Diagnosis Reaction Education Disruptive Reprimand, suspend, expel Social Work Dysfunctional Intake, manage, discharge Corrections Delinquent Adjudicate, punish, incarcerate Behaviourism Disordered Assess, conditioning, time out Medicine Diseased Diagnose, drug, hospitalize Psychopathology Disturbed Test, treat, restrain

8. �A deficit model assumes certain knowable norms for youth/family behaviour and interaction. Whatever deviates from these norms is assumed to be defective. Interventions then focus on fixing that which is in need of repair, inadvertently reinforcing a focus on dysfunction.� (Madsen, 1999, p. 22-23)

11. Labels given to High-Risk Youth: Community Loser Ungrateful Brat Dangerous Victim Drop-Out Delinquent Thief Professionals Conduct Disordered Reactive Disorder A.D.H.D. Depressed Suicidal Borderline Antisocial Emotionally Disturbed Resistant Lacking Impulse Control

12. Problem Solving Mind Set We often find it difficult to see the positive side of a situation It is easier to focus on the �can�ts� as opposed to the �cans�. Problem solvers look for patterns, such as broken homes, dysfunctional neighborhoods, and poverty, to explain difficulties We assume that youth experiencing similar patterns will also exhibit similar difficulties As a result, problem solvers may see problems even where they may not exist

13. Challenges of Deficit/At-Risk Model Tends to label youth Focused on reducing risk Labels limit options and exploring of innate resources Ignores potential resulting from adversity Leads to prescribed programming May or may not include a focus on relationship building and earning of trust by care provider Intervention tends to be linear � not ecological Does not clearly show cause versus effect No common philosophy of service provision

14. � Assumptions can be like blinkers on a horse � they keep us from straying from the road, but they block our view of other routes and possibilities along the roadside� Armand Eisen

15. Doing What It takes to Survive

16. Pain-Based Behaviour (Bendtro) Pain is a very powerful motivator that permeates emotions, thinking, and behaviour: Painful emotions � include inner states such as fear, anger, sadness, disgust, hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, hatred, and shame. Painful thinking � may include distressing thought processes such as worry, anxiety, distrust, pessimism, blame, vengefulness, denial, and unconstructive rationalization Pain-based behaviour puts painful emotions and thinking into action as an attempt to escape from pain

17. For kids in pain, life is a daily struggle to handle distress and disruption, and they often use counterproductive coping strategies. All behaviours serve some purpose: Sam prevents the pain of rejection by keeping people at a distance Joe avoids the pain of failure by giving up efforts to succeed Maria fights the pain of powerlessness by defiant rebellion Ron overrides the pain of conscience by calloused thinking Ruth medicates her loneliness with alcohol and drugs

18. Understanding the Triune Brain All of us have a triune brain specializing in three different tasks: 1) The Survival Brain is the most primitive part of the brain and connects directly to the spinal cord and operates biological functions of internal organs like the lungs and heart. The survival brain also executes flight-or-fight reactions

19. 2) The Emotional Brain, wraps around the survival brain and generates positive and negative emotions. The emotional brain is where value is attributed � right and wrong. This part of brain also conditions and stores emotional memories. Emotions that motivate and prepare the brain and body for action. 3) The Logical Brain is the centre for logic. Language and reasoning � it also plays a role in regulating emotion

20. Understanding the Tit-for-Tat Rule A youth�s brain is hard-wired to react to positive or negative emotions. Friendliness usually invites friendliness, while hostility evokes hostility. At the first sign of danger or disrespect, we are biologically programmed to stop being friendly and react with freeze, fight, or flight behaviour. As a result, the Tit-for-Tat rules works against those who work with youth based upon �If you respect me, I�ll respect you�.

21. Effective work with youth in pain, then, becomes a �double struggle�; it demands that we work hard to respond to the message of a youth�s emotional reaction, rather than be sucked into our own negative emotional reaction to the angry form the message may take.

22. Embracing Change Most youth want to be successful, but just do not have the experiential templates to meet their needs constructively Youth will accept our invitations to change when what we offer replaces their current conventional pursuits in a meaningful way Alternative invitations must be chosen, not required � no evidence that interventions that try to force youth to stop behaviours work Values and behaviour of youth always change in the context of relationships � not programs

23. Barriers to Effective Change

24. Why is Change so Difficult?

25. Change does not come from special powers from professionals Change happens when a person uses their inherent strengths and resources and are supported by relationships that take your innate goodness as a given Change happens when you create a plan that is tailored to the person�s ideas and therefore inspires the hope necessary for action

26. The Four Common Factors of Positive Change

27. Critical Components of Change An analysis of 40 years of research found the best predictor of successful change are two factors: 1) engagement in meaningful relationships 2) engagement in meaningful activities 83% of change involves these two factors 17% is a result of technique

28. Nurturing these two essential factors for change is accomplished by: The ability to: Engage in a respectful and youth focused manner See with unconditional positive regard and ability to make positive change Establish meaningful starting points - Exploring and agreeing on goals the youth is truly invested in Exploring and agreeing on ways to reach those goals See intervention as a collaborative process Regularly ask for feedback and adapt

29. Assumptions About Change People can change � they have the resources to alter their life circumstances and resolve problems People change when their ready and change always occurs within a system of perceptions and relationships We are more likely to help people change their behaviour when we focus on what is strong in them and not what is wrong with them We are more likely to help people change their behaviour when our conversations focus on what people would like for themselves � their preferences, hopes, and intentions

30. Change does not come from special powers from professionals Change happens when a person uses their inherent strengths and resources and are supported by relationships that take your innate goodness as a given Change happens when you create a plan that is tailored to the person�s ideas and therefore inspires the hope necessary for action

31. Alcoholics Anonymous defines �insanity� as doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.

32. A New Approach Focus on what is strong in people and not what is wrong with them Focus on people as resources and less on them as absorbing resources Focus on what people would like for themselves (their preferences, hopes, and intentions) � not what we think they need Focus on what is important and less on what we think is urgent

33. To see all individuals as �at promise� rather than �at risk� is a fundamental shift that means facilitating rather than fixing, pointing to health rather than dysfunction, turning away from limiting labels and diagnosis to wholeness and well-being.

34. As opposed to emphasizing problems, vulnerabilities, and deficits, those embracing a strength-based perspective hold the belief that children, youth and their families have strengths, resources and the ability to recover from adversities. The strength-based paradigm offers a different language to describe children�s and families� difficulties and struggles. The Strength-Based Model

35. Problem-Based Thinking Focuses on understanding fixed problem patterns in youths� lives Elicits detailed descriptions of problems and youth is categorized by the problems Focuses on �what�s wrong� and �what�s not working� Interprets and highlights the times that youth resist or are inconsistent in their responses Negative experiences are seen as damaging the lives of youth and predict later pathology Focus of intervention as something provided by an �expert�

36. Strength-Based Focuses on understanding how change occurs in the youth and what positive possibilities are open to them Elicits detailed descriptions of goals and preferred futures Youth is seen as more than the problem, with unique talents and strengths and a personal story to be told Focuses on identifying �what�s right� and �what�s working� Negative Experiences are not necessarily predictive of pathology as it may weaken or strengthen the youth Interventions are always a collaborative endeavor � client is the expert of their own lives � care giver informs and nurtures the change process

37. Resiliency Adjustment / Adaptation Model

39. Definition of Resiliency Ann Masten (2001): resilience as �good outcomes in spite of serious threats to adaptation or development� (p. 228) Lifton (1994): identified resiliency as the human capacity of all individuals to transform and change, no matter what their risks; it is an innate �self-righting mechanism�.

40. The Resilient Child Definition of Resiliency �� an ability to spring back and adapt to life�s challenges � an attitude of hope and optimism.�

41. Resiliency is not one particular thing: �What we call resilience is turning out to be an interactive and systemic phenomenon, the product of complex relationships of inner and outer helps throughout a person�s life span�. (Greens & Conrad)

42. Resiliency Functional Non-Functional Points to Consider: - developmental - story of youth - fluidity - role of risk - balance between intrinsic/extrinsic View of Resiliency

43. � To nurture resilient potential effectively, you need to explain and amplify the past and present strengths of the vulnerable, clarifying the adaptive strategies that keep them farther from the bottom rather than focusing on why they are not closer to the top.� Gina O�Connell Higgins

44. Examples of Protective Factors Internal Protective Factors Gives of self in service of others and/or a cause Uses life skills, including good decision making, assertiveness, impulse control, and problem solving Sociability - ability to be a friend and form positive relationships Sense of humour Internal locus of control Autonomy; independence; good sense of self-worth Positive view of personal future Capacity for and connection to learning Self-motivation and flexibility Personal competence � feels they are good at something

45. External Protective Factors (characteristics of families, schools/role environment, communities, and peers) Promotes close bonds Values and encourages learning Uses high-warmth, low-criticism style of interaction Sets and enforces clear boundaries (rules, norms, and laws) Encourages supportive relationships with many caring others Promotes sharing of responsibilities, service to others � required helpfulness Provides access to resources for meeting basic needs of housing, employment/schooling, health care, and recreation Expresses high and realistic expectations for success Encourages prosocial development of values and life skills Provides leadership, decision making, and other opportunities for meaningful participation Appreciates and affirms the unique talents of person

46. Youth Resiliency Model

47. Extrinsic Components of Youth Resiliency

48. Intrinsic Components of Youth Resiliency

49. Sample Resiliency Profile

50. Youth Resiliency Versus Risk Behaviours (N = 2290)

51. Resiliency and Tobacco Use

52. Resiliency and Alcohol Use

53. Resiliency and Marijuana Use

54. Resiliency and Gambling

55. Resiliency and Destructive Behaviour

56. Youth Resiliency Versus Prosocial Behaviours (N = 2290)

57. Resiliency and Volunteering

58. Challenge Model of Resiliency Identified For Specific At-Risk Behaviours

59. Resiliency Pattern

62. Principles of Resilience Belonging � need to engage and build trust Building Capacity � recognize strengths and passion Independence � promote ability to creatively draw upon internal and external resources Purpose � nurture belief that �my life� has meaning

63. Characteristics of Resiliency-Based Practice A focus on language � �Language is not innocent� (Anderson, 1996) A focus on story � Stories of self guide how people act, think, feel, and make sense of their past and present lives A focus on strengths, abilities, and resources � a firm and committed belief that all people of all ages, and all families possess ability, competence, and other special qualities regardless of their life experience or current situation

64. 4. A focus on collaboration � acknowledging that people have a view of their current situation, its potential solutions and ideas about how the change process should unfold 5. A focus on relationship � walking with as opposed to dictating

65. Role of Mentoring Relationships Research clearly indicates that the most significant and preventative influence on youth is adult mentors. Characteristics of successful mentorship Sufficient intensity Duration of the relationship Developmental focused as opposed to prescribed Youth centred and participatory focused

66. Statistical Support for Mentoring Making an difference: An impact study of Big Brother/Big Sisters (1995) Children and youth with mentors (as opposed to those without) 46% less engagement in substance use � 70% less difference for African American 33% less reduction in violent behaviour 50% less reduction in school truancy significant improvement in school performance and interactions with parents

67. � To nurture resilient potential effectively, you need to explain and amplify the past and present strengths of the vulnerable, clarifying the adaptive strategies that keep them farther from the bottom rather than focusing on why they are not closer to the top.� Gina O�Connell Higgins

68. Proposing an Integrated Model That is Strength-Based Seeks to understand the crucial variables contributing to individual resilience and well-functioning families Provides a common language and prevention philosophy Resiliency provides a conceptual map to guide prevention efforts Prevention strategies are client-driven and relationship focused Engages distressed people with respect and compassion Affirms the reparative potential in people and seeks to enhance strengths as opposed to deficits

69. �If we want to change the situation, we first have to change ourselves.� Stephen Covey

72. �What we want to achieve in our work with young people is to find and strengthen the positive and healthy elements, no matter how deeply they are hidden. We enthusiastically believe in the existence of those elements even in the seemingly worst of our adolescents�. Karl Wilker