Protective factors worksheet

This protective factors worksheet is for therapists providing mental health treatment. Understanding how to use protective factors psychology assessment tools can help clinicians better assess client resilience and risk factors.

In this article, you’ll find an explanation of protective factors in psychology and prompts for client assessments.

You can also use our protective factors worksheet with clients to explain how their resources impact well-being and outcomes, and save it to your electronic health record (EHR) for repeated use.

What are protective factors?

Protective factors are the internal and external resources that contribute to a person’s resilience, health outcomes, and the reduced likelihood of adverse events, like suicide, experiencing or perpetrating violence, and developing a substance use disorder.

Clinicians consider both risk and protective factors for the individual when providing a mental health assessment or when the client has experienced an adverse event.

Together, risk and protective factors influence determinations about acuity, safety planning, and appropriate levels of care and interventions.

Protective characteristics fall into individual (or internal) resources and external resources.

Personal risk and protective factors

These risk and protective factors include individual skills, attributes, and access to resources, such as:

Risks: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health conditions, and early substance use. There are also variable risk factors such as income level, social support, poor health, limited social relationships, low self-esteem, few social skills, and employment status.
Protective factors: Positive self-image, social skills, peer support, academic competence and connections, self-determination, reasons for living, hope, good health and access to medical care, healthy lifestyle habits, good coping skills, access to mental health support, a strong sense of self-worth and self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and cultural, religious, or spiritual beliefs.

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External risk and protective factors

Existing in multiple domains, including relationships, families, communities, society, and other environments (schools, colleges, and workplaces), external risk and protective factors include:

Risks: Unstable living conditions, access to lethal means, parent-child conflict, marriage difficulties, racism and other forms of discrimination, parental or partner substance use, drug use among peers, unemployment, community-level stressful events, poverty, single-parent families, loss of loved ones or relationships, witnessing or experiencing violence, family dysfunction, divorce, abuse, a family member with a serious, persistent mental illness, and negative living or social environments.
Protective factors: Responsibility to others, secure employment, safe and stable housing, a secure home environment with clear expectations and healthy communication, community support, access to economic and financial help, quality family relationships, work opportunities, access to mentors or the development of skills and interests, physical and psychological safety, positive norms that discourage harmful behaviors, hate crime and anti-discrimination laws and policies, opportunities for social and community engagement and support, and quality medical care and access to mental health services.

Risk factors are correlated and cumulative, meaning that experiencing some risk factors may make someone more likely to experience more risk factors, and less likely to have protective factors.

Risk and protective factors may have a cumulative effect on developing behavioral health issues. In youth, multiple risk factors increase the likelihood of adverse physical and mental health conditions, while youth with multiple protective factors have a reduced risk of adverse outcomes.

However, prevention and early intervention that target numerous risk factors can positively affect various domains of functioning. A protective factors worksheet can help clients identify both their risks and resources.

Protective factors questions

In protective factors psychology, asking targeted questions can help identify areas of strength and vulnerability.

Here are some examples of protective factors questions and prompts that you can ask clients:

Individual risk and protective factors

What are your strengths?
How would you describe your sense of self-worth?
Describe how you cope with stress.
Name some challenges you’ve overcome.
Do you have a sense of purpose?
What are your main stressors?
How would you describe your level of fulfillment in the main areas of your life (work, school, home, social, parenting, community)?
How do you approach problem-solving?
How do you feel about your self-determination?
Are you able to practice self-control?
Tell me about your financial situation—are you employed? Do you have access to adequate financial resources?
Are you responsible for anyone, like children or family members?
What is your relationship status?
How would you describe your health?
What are your healthy habits (movement, diet, sleep)?
What is your relationship with substances?

Community, social, and environmental protective factors

Describe your social support systems.
Are you a member of any community groups or organizations?
What barriers do you face (financial, social, and environmental)?
Who do you lean on for advice?
How would you describe your housing?
What helps you feel connected?
Do you feel safe in your home environment?
If you’re in a relationship, describe the quality of your partnership. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

For parents

What do you like best about parenting?
What are your strengths as a parent, and what do you find challenging?
Do you have any concerns or stressors relating to your family?

For college or school-age students

How would you describe school/college?
What are the main stressors in your school life?
Do you have adequate academic support?

Download the protective factors worksheet at the top of this article to begin implementing these questions in your practice.

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How to use the protective factors worksheet

Understanding protective factors psychology principles helps clinicians make the most effective use of this assessment tool.

You can download and use the protective factors worksheet in several ways:

Use the worksheet during the session as part of a mental health assessment
Include the protective factors worksheet as part of client intake paperwork
Use the worksheet as a tool to empower the client to identify their protective factors

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Risk and Protective Factors.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Risk and Protective Factors.
Western Michigan University. (n.d.). Suicide Prevention Program Protective Factors.
Youth.gov. (n.d.). Risk and Protective Factors for Youth.

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