What counselling psychologists need to know about resiliency in children and adolescents

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research literature on resiliency in adolescents. This overview includes a definition of resiliency and will explore the history of resiliency, as it relates to the health and well-being of children and adolescents. There will be a discussion with regard to emergence of the developmental assets framework, outlining the role that developmental assets play in the healthy development of young people across varied life circumstances in the face of multiple challenges. This paper will also highlight those elements of the research that support the notion that young people who have grown up in extremely disadvantaged conditions can escape without serious damage through the generation of positive environmental contexts within parents, families, schools, and communities. Lastly, this paper will examine the relationship of resiliency to prevention, well-being, risk factors, and protective factors.