Abstract
In the past 50 years there has been a growing interest in promoting, sustaining, and restoring the well-being of young people by nurturing their positive attributes and assets. This strength-based approach is predicated on the belief that “everybody has knowledge, talents, capacities, skills, and resources that can be used as building blocks toward their aspirations, the solution of their problems, the meeting of their needs, and the boosting of the quality of their lives” (Saleebey, 2008). A strength-based orientation suggests that, even in the face of adversity, individuals can overcome the odds and achieve better-than-expected outcomes (Masten, 2001). Studies of children that have beaten the odds suggest that these children share a common characteristic—many of which can be nurtured in their natural environments (Werner & Smith, 1992). The Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) has transformed the findings from this body of research into resources that parents and professionals can use to promote these characteristics in children and youth. This chapter first describes some of the fields of research and practice that have guided the incorporation of a strength-based approach to children’s mental health into the DCRC resources. Next, this chapter focuses on the specific resources within the DCRC collection that were designed to help practitioners collect relevant, empirical information about a child’s strengths, and concludes by providing examples of how these assessment tools can be used to plan and monitor interventions that promote resilience in children.
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Naglieri, J.A., LeBuffe, P.A., Shapiro, V.B. (2013). Assessment of Social-Emotional Competencies Related to Resilience. In: Goldstein, S., Brooks, R. (eds) Handbook of Resilience in Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3661-4_15
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