Presenters: Michael Ungar, Ph.D., Founder & Co-Director, Resilience Research Centre
Author of Working with Children and Youth with Complex Needs: Twenty Skills to Build Resilience and A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., Regional Director, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, Recipient of Three Department of Health & Human Services Awards

This second annual multi-disciplinary conference on youth resilience will be held in celebra­tion of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. The conference will provide a unique forum for considering what has been learned about youth resilience from around the globe and then applying that knowledge to local needs and programs. Looking broadly at children and adolescents as well as their families, schools and communities, the focus will be on identifying powerful strengths that counteract the adversities faced by far too many. Nine resilience factors identified in global studies will be presented as they serve to offset youth psy­chiatric disorders as well as the effects of family violence, natural disasters, forced migration, poverty, racism and other types of social marginalization. The connections between research and practice will be stressed throughout. The plenary speaker, Michael Ungar, Ph.D., co-founder of the Resilience Research Centre, is both a clinician and a world leader in resilience studies, as he coordinates funded research in over a dozen countries. His work will be comple­mented by that of local leaders who will describe how strength-based programs are making important contributions to youth and family adjustment. Such programs are relevant across a broad developmental range, from early childhood to youth transitioning to adulthood. Concrete examples of successful practices and programs will be presented. Representatives from schools and Commonwealth agencies will be present to foster collaboration in meeting the growing mental health needs of children and their families. The day will be divided between plenary sessions, panel presentations, and concurrent sessions, all in an attempt to foster engagement and sharing. The conference will be relevant for clinicians, educators, policy makers, consumers, and community support personnel. 

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