Dr. Michael Ungar is among the best known writers and researchers on the topic of resilience in the world. His work has changed the way resilience is understood, shifting the focus from individual traits to the interactions between people and their families, schools, workplaces, and communities. As the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University, as well as a family therapist, he has helped to identify the most important factors that influence the resilience of children and adults during periods of transition and stress. He is the author of 14 books that have been translated into five languages, numerous manuals for parents, educators, and employers, as well as more than 135 scientific papers. Dr. Ungar’s immense influence comes from his ability to adapt ideas from his research and clinical practice into best-selling works like Too Safe For Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive and I Still Love You: Nine Things Troubled Kids Need from Their Parents.
Dr. Ungar is also the founder and Director of the Resilience Research Centre where he coordinates over five million dollars in research in more than a dozen countries. Dr. Ungar regularly provides consultation and training to organizations like the World Bank, UNESCO, and the Red Cross. He is the former Chair of the Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, executive board member of the American Family Therapy Academy, and a family therapist who works with mental health services for individuals and families at risk. In 2012 Dr. Ungar was the recipient of the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contribution to clinical work with families and communities.
Research Interests: Resilience of children, youth and families, Delinquency, bullying, domestic violence, Resilience across cultures, Design of social services (child welfare, corrections and mental health), Benefits of risk-taking for children and youth, Resilience in the workplace and at home, Adult resilience, and Parenting strategies for all ages of children
| Institution: | Dalhousie University |
| Fields of Expertise: | Social Policy, Welfare and Labour Market Youth |
| Research groups: | The ECSA-C members |
| Email: | michael.ungar@dal.ca |
| Media outreach: | Yes |
| Languages: | English |
| Publications: | Jefferies, P., Höltge, J. & Ungar, M. (2020) Social Anxiety and Resilience: Associations Vary by Country and Sex. ADV RES SCI. Mahdiani, H., Höltge, J., Theron, L. et al. (2020) Resilience in Times of Economic Boom and Bust: A Narrative Study of a Rural Population Dependent upon the Oil and Gas Industry. J Adult Dev Liu, X.; Ungar, M.; McRuer, J.; Blais, D.; Theron, L.; Schnurr, M. (2020) Boom Bust Economy and Social-ecological System Relationship. Preprints, 2020090368 Jefferies, P., & Ungar, M. (2020). Social anxiety in young people: A prevalence study in seven countries. Plos One, 15(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239133 Twum-Antwi, A., Jefferies, P., Theron, L. et al. (2020) Young People’s Perceptions of Identities in a Rural Oil and Gas Town Experiencing Boom-Bust Economic Cycles. JAYS. Van Rensburg, A., Theron, L., & Ungar, M. (2017). Using the CYRM-28 with South African young people: A factor structure analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 1-10. Ungar, M., Hadfield, K., Amarasingam, A., Morgan, S., & Grossman, M. (2017). The association between discrimination and violence among Somali Canadian youth. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Hadfield, K., Ostrowski, A., & Ungar, M. (2017). What can we expect of the mental health and wellbeing of Syrian refugee children and adolescents in Canada? Canadian Psychology, 58, 194-201. Ungar, M. (2017). Building social inclusion and community engagement of youth: Pathways to resilience as alternatives to violence. In T. Morris & M. Hadji-Janev (Eds.), Countering terrorism in South Eastern European (pp.103-109). Washington, DC: IOS Press. Didkowsky, N. & Ungar, M. (2017). A social ecological approach to understanding resilience among rural youth. In U. Kumar (ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Psychosocial Resilience (pp. 46-58). London: Routledge. |
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