Families and Resilience

I recently attended a training program about working with family members and carers affected by trauma. This course reminded me about how resilient families are on a day to day basis when faced with HUGE problems. A mother, father, brother or sister get on with their work or study knowing that the person they love is struggling to cope in different ways to them. They keep on with the shopping, cooking and mowing of lawns to keep the family home running as smoothly as possible. We can sometimes forget this when we are in the middle of it all. Other people forget it too. They focus on the deficits of families rather than the strengths.

Families affected by these problems have been coping and managing for years. They might feel tired sometimes but they know they are in it for the long haul. They know that there are ups and downs along the way and they just keep going. Some of them sticking together like glue and others moving away. But mostly families keep on giving and loving.