Nurturing Resilience in Early Adolescence

Abstract

Abstract We describe a program for promoting resilience for adolescents, a multisystemic approach based on the interpersonal theory of Harry Stack Sullivan (1953), designed to empower adolescents, especially high risk minority youths and those who must overcome adversity. A system is developed so as to promote resilience in the adolescent and support by his/her family and school, as the host program, to develop empathic relatedness, use of tender feelings, self exploration, and the management of anxieties, in the context of asking for and accepting help from others. Staff interventions emphasize ways adults can become allies during these youths' quest for resilience, achieved in the context of the pursuit of a mutually identified and accepted goal. All participants report and manifest behavioral benefits from this program.