Weathering the Storm like Bamboo:
Rethinking
the Concept of “Resilience” in the Haitian Community
Friday and Saturday, May 3-4, 2013
Keynote Presenters
Marjory Clermont Mathieu, Ph.D., R/I, Guerda Nicolas, PhD and Dr. Ronald Jean-Jacques
As a nation, Haitians have
often been compared to the bamboo tree, which has the distinct characteristic
of weathering strong storms and winds seemingly unscathed. Since the disaster
of January 12, 2010, the term “resilience” has frequently been associated with
Haitians. Indeed, in the aftermath of the earthquake, there were countless
media images of Haitians persevering and going about their daily lives and
activities appearing unphased by the massive devastation and despair that
surrounded them. Those reactions and behaviors were frequently cited to depict
Haitians as a resilient nation; a
people that seemed to be unaffected by the magnitude of the tragedy and able to
“bounce back”—like the proverbial bamboo tree. To date, many questions remain
as to the applicability of the westernized construct of resilience to the
Haitian experience. In the literature, resilience is defined as “patterns of
positive adaptation in the context of significant risk or adversity” (Masten
& Powell, 2003). Yet, as robust as
the research on resilience has been, further empirical investigations are
needed to fully understand the contextual and cultural aspects of resilience
vis-à-vis the Haitian community. For instance, how is resilience defined,
conceptualized and measured among Haitians? What attributes of resilience are
relevant to Haitians living in the homeland and the Diaspora? Is there a different, and perhaps more
culturally-appropriate, construct that can better capture the complexities of
the lives of Haitians, their coping strengths and reactions to traumatic
experiences both as individuals and as a cultural group?
This
conference will bring together practitioners, researchers, educators, and
policymakers to engage in a discourse on resilience among Haitians. Its primary
aim is to provide an intellectually stimulating forum for conference attendees
to engage in theoretical, research and practice-based inquiries on resilience
among Haitians; share knowledge that will lead to a better understanding and
conceptualization of resilience and its relevance to the Haitian context; and
discuss clinical interventions that can respond to the complex mental health
needs of the Haitian community.
Upon completion of this program, conference attendees will be able to:
- Describe how “resilience” is defined
in the Haitian community
- Examine the culturally- and
contextually-specific aspects of “resilience”
- Define the more culturally
appropriate concepts that can capture the Haitian experience in relation
to their affect, behaviors and responses to traumatic experiences
- Explore how resilience is conceptualized
and measured among Haitian children, adolescents and adults
- Describe the gender differences
in the manifestation of resiliency among Haitians
- List the strengths and resources
that Haitians are likely to utilize to cope in the face of adversity?
- Examine how to understand and
capture culturally oriented strategies and clinical interventions that are
effective at helping Haitians cope with traumatic and/or stressful events
Program Code: HC13
12 CE Credits
Location: at MSPP, Newton
$230 includes lunch on Friday and Saturday
We
would like to remind you of the registration fee for
students and members of the general public who do NOT need CE Credits.
May 3-4, 2013 - HC-S13-50 | $115
Please use this code (HC-S13-50) when registering for the conference to
receive the 50% discounted rate.
Marjory Clermont Mathieu, Ph.D., R/I, Psychologist & Professor, Department of Psychology,
Faculty of Human Sciences, State University of Haiti
Guerda Nicolas, PhD, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, School of Education, University of Miami
Dr. Ronald Jean-Jacques, President, Haitian Psychological Association