The pandemic and other challenges of recent years have brought mental health and trauma to the top of people’s concerns about children, youth, and families. How can we address these challenges without stigmatizing or blaming families? How can we do so while maintaining a strength focus that acknowledges the challenges while nurturing hope? This session will draw on strong research and deep experience to highlight the powerful and practical ways that developmental relationships with, within, and among families play essential roles in helping young people and their families not just survive, but thrive, even as they seek to overcome the challenges in their lives. It also will highlight the essential role these relationships play in bringing communities together to work for fair and just communities where all young people and families have the supports and resources they need to thrive.
