What do children need to cope with the everyday risks they encounter and the demands life makes of them? How can we help them to become accepted and to have a feeling of belongingness? What imparts in children mental health and keeps them healthy? The answers to these questions are provided by Aaron Antonovskys concept of salutogenesis that was conceived over 30 years ago for just this purpose. The central tenet is the feeling of coherence, which is supported by a stable feeling of self-value and belongingness. The goal is to further childrens trust in their own capabilities and to practice active creativity in social interactions. The health scientist and psychotherapist Rüdiger-Felix Lorenz and the educationist Christina Krause provide easily accessible and intuitive suggestions for parents and anyone active in education for furthering the mental health of their children.

Dr. Christina Krause, Dipl.-Pädagogin, Familien- und Kinder- und Jugendlichenpsychotherapeutin, lehrte bis 2007 als Professorin für Pädagogische Psychologie an der Universität Göttingen, Forschungsschwerpunkte: Entwicklung des Selbst, Gesundheitserziehung und Beratung.