Strengthening Family Resilience

“This edition of a much-acclaimed book on resilience is a welcome update of the previous one….This update adds some important aspects of contemporary family processes and elaborates on others….The use of case vignettes throughout to illustrate the practical application of the concepts helps readers get an in-depth understanding of resiliency processes.”

—Doody's Review Service


“In this invigorating read, Froma Walsh normalizes the vast adverse experiences of families and takes her readers through the journey of resiliency, challenging the problem-focused mindset offered by other therapeutic modalities....This book is a 'must-read.' Students and seasoned clinicians can find ways to apply the resiliency framework regardless of therapeutic modality....Will make a significant contribution to training programs.”

—Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (on the second edition)


“While most therapists search for a cure for an illness, Froma Walsh explores the potential in families for wellness. This book highlights the multiple causes that may contribute to family distress, and then, with a powerful lens of hope, explores the varied avenues that family members can take to increase family and individual resilience. Strengthening Family Resilience is an antidote to the simplistic labeling of diagnostic manuals. Therapists will change their ways of thinking about healing after reading this remarkable book.”

—Salvador Minuchin, MD


“The third edition of this classic, comprehensive book is a welcome addition to any health care professional’s library. Walsh's overarching framework for understanding and working with resilience in families and communities allows for an ecumenical approach to the crucial subject of helping people cope with—and even thrive in—adverse circumstances. Well written and immensely helpful, the book is rich with stories and clinical vignettes. This is a compassionate, practical guide to one of the most fundamental of all human aspirations: how to rise above our misfortunes.”

—Kaethe Weingarten, PhD, Director, The Witnessing Project


“Brilliant! This thoroughly enriched third edition of Walsh’s groundbreaking work is a gem. Walsh brings to this book her keen intellect and her humane approach to individuals, families, and communities facing adversity of all kinds: personal, communal, or sociopolitical. The third edition features additional carefully explained tools for use in practice and training settings. This is a sparkling contribution that will inspire those who work with diverse families in the midst of pain to tap their hidden resources and instill hope.”

—Celia Jaes Falicov, PhD, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego


“Walsh has done it again! Writing in clear, jargon-free, and elegant prose, she rescues resilience from its current buzzword status, offering us a true systemic application for diverse families and communities. Walsh's career-long development of resilience is a gift to students, practitioners, and researchers. She wraps her arms around the dilemmas and traumas facing contemporary families, offering us a living concept that will not grow musty on a shelf but rather will guide our work with families. This third edition will be required reading in the graduate program I direct.”

—Evan Imber-Black, PhD, Program Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Master's Program, Mercy College; faculty member, Ackerman Institute for the Family


“In this timely third edition of her classic work, Walsh expands her theory and review of the evidence on how families adapt successfully to acute crises and chronic adversities. She integrates ecological, family, and developmental systems theory with research on resilience across the family life cycle, across cultures, and in diverse situations that challenge contemporary families. Drawing on her extensive experience in professional practice and training, Walsh has created a practical, evidence-informed guide to fostering adaptive family function. This engaging book by a pioneer in family resilience theory and intervention is essential reading for anyone who works with or is training to work with families.”

—Ann S. Masten, PhD, Regents Professor of Child Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities


“It is an honor to endorse a book that has had such a profound impact on my own life and work. This third edition brings our understanding of strengthening family resilience to a new level and continues to inspire us in our belief in the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. I will continue to recommend this new edition to practicing professionals, students, and colleagues teaching courses in all mental health and health disciplines. The book's powerful message of spiritual resilience will also benefit faith-based organizations, pastoral counselors, and those they serve.”

—Nancy Boyd-Franklin, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“Walsh has thoroughly updated the definitive book on family resilience. It should be required reading for students and professionals in mental health and community services, as well as others who seek to improve the lives of families. Although the focus is on resilience in the face of adversity, the book's comprehensive review of family therapy concepts and methods qualifies it as a primary text on integrative family therapy. The third edition includes a trenchant discussion of challenges and strategies for resilience researchers, as well as expanded guidelines for clinical and community practice. Walsh’s elegant prose makes every sentence quotable.”

—Peter Fraenkel, PhD, Department of Psychology, The City College of the City University of New York