Episode 44: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Ungar on Building Resilience

In this episode, part of our series featuring presenters from the May 2024 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day, ASCY’s Shari Bell engages in a deep conversation with Dr. Michael Ungar about how to support children, youth, and families with complex needs, to build resilience. Dr. Ungar's presentation highlighted the nine essential elements that all children require for resilience. 

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. His research on resilience around the world and across cultures has made him the number one ranked Social Work scholar in the world, with numerous educational institutions, government agencies, not-for-profits and businesses relying on his research and clinical work to guide their approaches to nurturing child, family, organizational and community wellbeing under stress. He the author of 18 books for mental health professionals, educators, caregivers and employers, including his most recent works The Limits of Resilience: When to Persevere, When to Change, and When to Quit, a book for individuals and organizations under stress, Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success, a book about our emerging understanding of resilience as more than individual grit, and Working with Children and Youth with Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience, a book for mental health professionals and educators. As well as having received numerous awards for his work, including the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award and being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Dr. Ungar also maintains a blog, Nurturing Resilience, which can be read on Psychology Today’s website.

Instagram: @MichaelUngarPhD