n the 1980s, developmental psychopathologists coined thertesrimlienceto refer to the dynamic process observed in children and adolescents who achieve successful adaptation in the context of adversity.Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of the risk and resilience model, as developed and implemented by developmental psychologists, with a focus on how this model may be applied to research in counseling psychology.Counseling psychologists have actively participated in the rediscovery of positive psychology, proposing theoretical, empirical, and clinical perspectives that emphasize well-being, optimal devel- opment, and strength-based approaches to counseling (e.g., Lent, 2004; Smith, 2006).The resilience paradigm provides an integrative framework for understanding the role of risk and protective factors in development that is consistent with counseling psychology's commitment to positive development, mul- ticultural psychology, and the understanding of human functioning in the context of person-environment transactions.The emergence of the concept of resilience is associated with Norman Garmezy's studies of schizophrenia and Emmy Werner's pioneering longitudinal study of the children of Kauai, Hawaii (Masten & Powell, 2003).These researchers reasoned that an understanding of the process of adaptation that allows some individuals to overcome adversity or traumatic experiences could help guide prevention and intervention efforts with others facing similar circumstances (Masten, 1994).Since its inception as a specialty, counseling psychology has emphasized the study of normative pro- cesses of development and the facilitative personal and environmental conditions that lead to adaptive outcomes (Gelso & Fretz, 2001).Because it emphasizes strengths rather than de cits, the resilience model is consistent with counseling psychology's traditional philosophical stance and professional emphasis.