The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Children and Families will host its second annual public forum, examining a range of family issues related to resiliency and how children and caregivers cope with adversity.

Dr. Suniya Luthar from Columbia University’s Teachers College is the forum’s keynote speaker. Also featured are faculty members from UT Dallas’ School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and experts from other area universities and community organizations.

At the forum’s opening session, Luthar will speak on resilience among families at risk and lead a panel discussion. In the afternoon, she will lead a discussion of the unique pressures faced by children from affluent families. The forum concludes with the evening lecture by Luthar on how mothers meet the challenges of managing multiple roles: “Fostering Resilience: Who Tends the Caregivers? Who Mothers Mommy?”

Luthar, who is professor of clinical and developmental psychology at Columbia University’s Teacher College in New York, has written extensively on vulnerability and resilience among various populations, including youths living in poverty and children from families affected by mental illness. Her recent work has looked at children in affluent communities and, in particular, substance use and anxiety in these communities.

The Center for Children and Families hosts its annual forum to promote greater understanding of how children develop and thrive. The forum is funded by grants from the Timberlawn Psychiatric Research Foundation and the Meadows Foundation.

Daytime events take place in the Galaxy Rooms of UT Dallas’ Student Union Building. The evening lecture is scheduled for Jonsson Performance Hall, JO 2.604. Registration is required for the daytime forum events, which include lunch. Visit ccf.utdallas.edu/ to register. The Sept. 22 event is free and begins at 9 a.m.  Luthar’s evening lecture starts at 7:30 p.m.