Resiliency – it’s more of a process than a trait.

Excerpt from an interview given by Step Up VP of Community Development Carolyn Baker on Resiliency Radio: “Building a Resilient Society”

“A community could be defined as a family, a neighborhood, a city, a county, state, a country, a planet. All of these are communities, and within them there are all sorts of factors: physical, psychological, environmental, emotional, fiscal.  When a community has a high degree of healing and protective processes in place around those factors, it helps all the members build their coping skills to counter-balance the risks, the stress, the adversity, they may be facing. Resiliency then is most likely to occur in a community with a high degree of protective processes in place around each of those factors.  The individuals Step Up serves are in a vulnerable state because of the symptoms of mental health issues, and trauma. And there are a myriad of aspects of their lives in which they experience the stress of this vulnerability. To counter-balance this trauma, Step Up provides an array of equally powerful  protective processes  such as permanent supportive housing, vocational opportunities, a sense of belonging. Through these healing and supportive recovery services, members of Step Up are able to develop whatever special coping skills they need to effectively deal with their unique set of risk factors, allowing them to bounce back to a place of well being. And that is resiliency – it’s more of a process than a trait.”

To hear the interview click here.