Too Safe for Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Children and Teens Thrive

Join us on April 16 to hear from Dr. Michael Ungar, family therapist and a Killam Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University on the importance of risk and responsibility in the healthy development of children and teens.

All proceeds will be directed to Lake Scugog Camp, helping to send children, youth and mothers affected by poverty to summer camp.

The Talk

As a family therapist, Dr. Michael Ungar is concerned that parents and caregivers are keeping children too safe for their own good. When parents and caregivers today look back to their own adolescence and childhood, they often acknowledge that the risk and responsibilities offered to them when they were young helped prepare them for the challenges faced later in life. Over his years of practice, Dr. Unger has seen a disturbing trend: a connection between the security offered to children today and troubling behaviors like anxiety, a lack of responsibility for one's self and others, drug abuse, and early sexual activity.

In this presentation Dr. Ungar will discuss ways to offer our children and teenagers the right amount of risk and responsibility. He will share what he has learned from families who have found ways to provide their children with the ‘risk-takers advantage’, helping them to grow up to be competent, caring contributors to their families, schools, and communities.

Michael Ungar

Michael Ungar is both a family therapist and a Killam Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he co-directs the Resilience Research Centre that coordinates more than five million dollars in funded research in a dozen countries. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on this topic and is the author of 11 books. He also writes for parents and educators.

In addition to his research and writing, Michael maintains a small family therapy practice in association with Phoenix Youth Programs, a prevention program for street youth and their families, and was the recipient of the 2012 Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award. His work has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers around the world, and he regularly appears on radio and television. Among his many contributions to his community has been his role as Co-Chair of the Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Advisory Committee. His blog, Nurturing Resilience, can be read on Psychology Today’s website.

Learn more about Michael Ungar

Lake Scugog Camp

Lake Scugog  Camp offers an outdoor camping experience for children, youth and mothers. Scugog's safe, fun and diverse community is specifically designed to address the needs of those affected by poverty and other barriers. At Scugog, it is believed that the development of positive attitudes and values is paramount to building a strong sense of self and community.

Learn more about Lake Scugog Camp