Techniques for Helping Children Recover 2000 Jordan Institute for Families Vol. He may not always be smiling, and he may deal with a great deal of pain, but eventually, through hard work, confidence, and a mysterious sense of hope, he becomes a mentally healthy adult, marries, and raises his children without the violence or pain he knew so well as a child. Social workers also know that, unfortunately, such stories are all too rare.
Many children survive abuse, poverty, poor nutrition, or a learning disability.
However, when all of these risk factors, and more, are present, the chances are high that a child will grow up with serious mental or social problems. Surely, there must be something we can learn from the kids who beat the odds, something we can bring to our practice that will help more children overcome adversity. The ability to recover from trauma, respond to stress, and maintain a sense of meaning, hope, and identity is called resiliency. Factors long associated with mental health seem to promote resiliency, and factors associated with behavioral difficulties, failure in school, and mental illness decrease the likelihood of a child being resilient. Of course, the children exposed to substance abuse, spousal abuse, poor nutrition, and other risk factors are the ones who most need to be resilient.