Strengthening Family Resilience

by Froma Walsh

In this widely used course text and practitioner resource, Froma Walsh provides a state-of-the-art framework for understanding resilience in families and how to foster it. Illuminating the complex interplay of biopsychosocial influences in risk and resilience, she identifies key transactional processes that enable struggling families to grow stronger and more resourceful. Case illustrations demonstrate Walsh's collaborative approach with diverse families facing a wide range of crisis situations and chronic multistress challenges. The book features practice principles, tools, and guidelines, as well as programmatic applications.

New to This Edition
*Incorporates the latest practice advances and resilience research.
*Chapter on assessment tools and strategies.
*Chapter on disruptive transitions across the family life cycle.
*Expanded coverage of war-related and collective trauma.

Genres: Psychology, Parenting, Nonfiction, Marriage

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 1998

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book in grad school. It helped me to understand how to work with existing strengths in families in crisis. I especially enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on Walsh's own experiences.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supplemental text for Pastoral Experiences of Aging at Brite Divinity - Drawing on extensive research and clinical experience, Walsh identifies key processes in resilience for practitioners to target and facilitate. Numerous case illustrations assist the reader in eliciting the unique strengths of diverse families to the benefit of all their members, from small children to frail elderly. Guidelines are delineated for intervening sensitively and effectively with those struggling with sudden crisis, trauma, and loss; disruptive transitions, such as job loss, divorce, and migration; chronic multistress conditions of serious illness or poverty; and barriers to success for at-risk youth.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a text for my Family Crisis class and I appreciated how it interspersed stories of actual clients and wasn't just a book of theories.

There were a few times that I felt like the information was repetitive and it could have been streamlined. "Making meaning" is something that is repeated in just about every chapter and I feel like that was understood, or perhaps dividing the concepts into chapters and then focusing on different scenarios for each concept.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school

[Jeanine Marie Swenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantastic resource for families takes the individual resilience research and information from the twentieth century and broadens it on a systemic level to apply to couples and families in a solution-focused and strength-based way. Dr. Walsh's kindness, compassion and understanding shines through every page of this incredibly helpful book. I highly recommend this text for all members of families and professionals that work with these groups.

[EmilyDressner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Froma's strength based approach to working with family's. Definitely some some wonderful chapters in this book that I will share with clients in the future.