Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

This resource collection was created in response to the overwhelming amounts of stress that Americans are reporting, made evident in the 2008 American Psychological Association report, Stress in America. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Resilience and Stress Management Resource Collection can be utilized during any situation, whether it is dealing with financial stress, recovering from a natural disaster, or coping with the loss of a family member or friend. The collection provides a knowledge base for understanding the concept of resilience, as well as the concept of stress and stress management. It emphasizes stress management as a promoter of resilience and the importance of fostering resilience to be psychologically prepared when stressful life events occur.

Materials included in this collection are among the best available from national and professional sources, and they collectively address the concept of resilience and promote preparation for stressful times and understanding of the foundations of stress and effective coping strategies for many of life's challenges. The collection contains tips for dealing with stress when internal defenses are not enough, and, more importantly, it helps people recognize the signs of when professional guidance should be sought. This collection will be updated as new resilience and stress management techniques become more evidence-informed and advances are made within community-based programs.

This collection is organized into several main sections:

• Resilience Overview—A review of the concept resilience, as well as strategies and resources for personal resilience, organizational resilience, and community resilience.
• Stress and Stress Management Overview—Information on the concept of stress including common myths about stress, types of stress, common stressors, and management of stress to bolster resilience. Resources include stress and stress management strategies for individuals, children/adolescents, families, workers, unemployed people, caregivers, and people under financial stress.
• Annotated Bibliography—Additional resources regarding resilience.
• Helpful Links—Links to organizations, agencies, and other resources that address resilience, stress, and stress management.

SAMHSA Tip Sheets
SAMHSA has created these tip sheets in response to the increasing amount of economic stress being reported by Americans (according to the 2008 American Psychological Association report, Stress in America). These resources include activities and strategies based from mental health experts in the fields of resilience and stress management.

• Managing Stress in Later Life Tip Sheet [PDF - 1,063 Kb]
• Managing Your Stress Tip Sheet [PDF - 733 Kb]
• Talking Dollars and Sense With Your Children Tip Sheet [PDF - 1,257 Kb]