ABSTRACT

In order to deal with the world that is forever changing and can and will throw up dif®culties, families need to have the ability to mobilise their own resources to deal with the problems that will arise for them. All families will face crises when the usual pattern of life is disrupted and when they need to respond in a way that they are not necessarily used to and they have had little experience of in the past. In order to manage these situations, families require a resilience: an ability to deal with dif®cult situations; bouncing back; and then continuing in a way in which all family members maintain their sense of integrity and ful®lment. There are certain qualities in families that promote this resilience. In therapy the therapist will note the qualities the family has and will try to enhance them as the therapeutic process continues.