Panel Discussion 29 - Ordinary Magic: Child and Family Resilience in the Context of Childhood Maltreatment and Other Adversity

Resilience has long been a focus of research hoping to identify generalizable factors that can inform prevention and intervention for youth exposed to adversity. As research on the construct of resilience progresses, what was once thought to be profoundly rare and magnificent has been shown to be considerably common among youth; resilience is, as Dr. Ann Masten refers to it, something of an “ordinary magic.” Yet still, there is a large emphasis, particularly in the childhood maltreatment literature, on risk and subsequent psychopathology given substantial evidence showing the negative sequelae of maltreatment. Amplifying messages of resilience can reduce stigma among providers and communities and encourage wide-spread strengths-based intervention and healing. This panel discussion will focus on how children and families find strength in the face of maltreatment and other forms of adversity and how providers and communities can promote resilience among children and families from multiple levels. Panelists were chosen to bring diverse perspectives informed by their unique clinical, research, and systems-level work. The first panelist will discuss promoting resilience through a strengths-based, anti-deficit lens that emphasizes the protective role of racial socialization in evidence-based practice with Black youth and families. The second panelist will discuss resilience in the context of working with transgender and gender diverse youth and their families in clinical and research settings, as well as with youth and families in group settings. The third panelist will discuss conducting research and clinical applications for the promotion of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing with underserved communities, particularly Black and Latine youth and families, with a focus on community- and school-based settings. The fourth panelist will provide insight into system-level interventions to promote resilient multidisciplinary child abuse-focused systems, particularly in rural settings. Overall, this panel will discuss the compounding impacts of maltreatment alongside other forms of adversity and strategies for promoting and recognizing resilience among youth facing these stressors.