In this story-filled presentation, Dr. Ungar will show that young people’s resilience is much more than their individual ability to overcome adversity. It is just as much the result of how well their families, schools and communities work together to help young people who are experiencing psychological and social adversity navigate their way to the resources they need for wellbeing, and whether those resources are experienced by youth as meaningful. In addition to exploring what resilience means to young people from many different backgrounds, Dr. Ungar will also provide nine practical strategies parents, caregivers, educators and mental health professionals can use to help youth thrive, no matter their emotional, psychological or behavioural problems. 
 
Specific learning objectives for this presentation are:

1. To understand how children and families with complex needs use “problem” behaviours to enhance their resilience and wellbeing when more socially acceptable solutions are not available;
2. To become familiar with how to assess resilience;
3. To learn about nine resilience-promoting resources that communities can provide young people to support their positive  development;
4. To develop strategies for working without resistance with hard-to-reach, culturally diverse adolescents, and their families;
5. To discuss ways services can be structured for youth and families that make resilience more likely to occur.