The term ‘resilience’ is associated with the ability to cope with the changes that are part of life. It is proposed that adults who are equipped with knowledge of resilience are better able to cater for their own emotional and social needs and thus support their families. Early studies of resilience focused on the assets of those who thrived in spite of significant adversity. Werner & Smith (1992), Masten, Best, & Garmezy (1990), Masten, Coatsworth, Neemann, Gest, Tellegen & Garmezy (1995) all made significant contributions to research in this area. A consistent finding was that, in most cases, adults and young people developed coping mechanisms and achieved successful life outcomes. This research refuted the proposition that risk factors were predictors of negative life outcomes. A second wave of resilience focused on clarifying how resilient qualities were acquired taking into account individual differences and environmental characteristics together with predictive risk and protective factors for positive outcomes. Empirical research on resilience has burgeoned in the last decade (Doll & Lyon, 1998; Grotberg, 2001; Howard & Johnson, 2000; Knight, 2007a, b; Luthar, 2000). Severe adversity, such as the birth of a child with disabilities and /or the many difficult situations that families may encounter) can be described as coping with loss/grief situations (Edelson, 2000). Resilience suggests the need to not only cope but to have an “accomplishment of wellness in the face of difficulties” (Grant, Ramcharan & Flynn, 2007, p. 563). Drawing from theoretical frameworks on child development and constructions of resilience, Grant, Ramcharan and Flynn, 2007, propose a psycho-social model of resilience in families with children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Using the established construct of ‘sense of coherence’ (Antonovsky, 1987) as a basis for psychological health, together with literature on resilience and non-traditional positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), conditions supporting resilience for families with intellectually disabled members is proposed. These conditions are used to analyse aspects of an educational program designed to assist children and adults in managing situations associated with grief/loss situations, including family members with a disability. This presentation analyses a program that aims to empower participants to draw on their strengths and learn strategies for ‘wellness’ thus mitigating risk factors and enhancing personal resilience.

The research uses a mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2008). Two surveys were completed to gain insight into how the program was viewed by both the facilitators (Companions) and participants in relation to the goals of the program. The surveys included both open-ended questions and scaled item questions. There were 46 participants who completed the survey, 6 male, 38 female, and 2 failed to answer. There were 12 Companions who completed the facilitator survey, 3 male and 9 female. A focus group from members of the Australian Foundation for Disabilities was also conducted with family/carers of people with a disability

Due to the reliance on a one shot post-program survey and a limited number of focus groups, the results do not enable the researchers to determine whether the program has been the cause of the changes reported. However, the evidence generated from the surveys indicates that individuals attribute changes in their life to their participation in the program and strong support for the program in consistently bringing about positive changes in enhancing personal resilience. The findings across a diverse group indicates that the program may have applicability to a range of groups.