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Working on two clinical cases of adolescents from different families, one inclusive and containing and the other deprived of its containing role, this article addresses the importance of the family in implementing a process of resilience in situations of extreme familial and collective trauma. In this instance, the nature of the protection afforded by Algerian families to its members affected by the outbreak of terrorism that struck Algeria during the 1990s is explored. From clinical experience working in a care centre for victims of terrorism, the article recounts what elements, as revealed through clinical care, led to the author thinking out the protective role of the family in such situations and engaging in research work on those lines.