Living the Resilient Life:

How To Develop and Sustain The Resilient Mindset

 

What does it mean to be resilient?  Why do some people have the ability to overcome and handle stress or grow from post-traumatic events while others fall prey to the black hole of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, and/or suicidal ideations?   How can the first responder community of police officers, corrections officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, chaplains, nurses, doctors, child care protective services, and 911 operators develop and sustain a Resilient Mindset in spite of the number of traumatic stressful events they observe during a single shift?  How can the first responder community sustain a Resilient Mindset in the face of the cumulative impact of being exposed to repeated trauma on a daily basis? 

How can a first responder retiree preserve the Resilient Mindset and not be haunted by the traumatic events they experienced on the job?  How can a child that has experienced a traumatic event develop and sustain a Resilient Mindset so they can reach their full potential later in life?  Do the lessons learned in the Resilient Minds Training Program apply to all professions? 


What Is The Resilient Minds Training Program?

The Resilient Minds Training Program is a life-changing program that is based upon the basic concepts of positive psychology.  The Resilient Minds Training Program is a three-day interactive training program which provides attendees with the roadmap to change the culture within their organization surrounding behavioral health issues.  The curriculum focuses on the impact of operational and organizational stress, the effect of trauma and life experience on employee attitudes, holistic employee health strategies, and enhancing interpersonal and community relationships.

Why Should My Organization Train Employees On The Resilient Minds Training Program?

 People are not born resilient, resiliency is learned through life experiences.  The Resilient MindsTraining Program was created by subject matter experts in psychology, academia, the military, and public safety.   The Resilient Minds Training Program is the next evolution of resiliency and wellness training.  The goal of this training program is to promote an environment for well-being among our attendees which ultimately affects individual quality of life, performance, safety, and attitudes.  The Resilient Minds Training Programwas developed by numerous subject matter experts who were involved with resiliency training methods adopted by the FBI National Academy and who created the first-in-the-nation New Jersey Law Enforcement Resiliency Program.  The Resilient Minds Training Program, however, is designed to transcend resiliency programs created solely for law enforcement and is instead applicable for the entire first-responder community.  It is also designed to be much more interactive than previously created resiliency and wellness courses.  

The Resilient Minds Training Program provides easily understandable tips that can be implemented in everyday life that, when adopted, will buffer the adverse effects of stressful life events and provide a broader range of coping strategies to recover from traumatic or stressful events.  Academic research has established that resilient people are not as negatively impacted by adverse events, and, when faced an adverse with an event, they recover faster and are more likely to experience post-event growth than those who do not have a Resilient Mindset.  

The positive effects of this training provide both tangible personal and professional benefits for students, even for those who have not experienced trauma. This training can help reshape an individual’s thought process by reframing adversity as a “learning experience.”  It helps them to look at the world, themselves, and events they experience from a different perspective which emphasizes positivity and their strengths rather than their weaknesses.  

Is This Training Program Limited Only to Law Enforcement or First Responders?

Lessons taught in this training are universal and therefore transcends the first responder community.  The principles taught can help adults, children and adolescents overcome adverse childhood experiences.  The Resilient Minds principle applies equally to top level executives and rank and file employees.  The same skills that guide the CEO of a company will also help the worker on the line, stocking the shelves, or transporting goods.  Research demonstrates that concepts taught in this course will increase job satisfaction, increase engagement, and improve focus.  The Resilient Minds Training Program will make your leadership team and managers better equipped at problem solving by focusing on active listening, promoting teamwork and effective communication skills.  Studies demonstrate there is a 63% difference in productivity of workers who are managed by leaders who emphasize strength rather than weakness.   Ultimately, a truly resilient group will need to adopt and live these concepts from the “top-down.” 

 

What Is The Resilient Minds Training Program Curriculum? 

The Resilient Minds Training Program adopts many of the principles established in the PERMAmodel of well-being (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment.)  A greater sense of self-awareness can lead to enhanced self-management skills for an individual. Indeed, resilience and wellness training builds resilience and improves it in people who consider themselves to be resilient.  Therefore, understanding these concepts and engaging in continual practice of these principles, will foster and increase personal resilience. The Resilient Minds Training Program is based upon several basic concepts that will ultimately train the student to “remind, reframe, and rewire” their thought process.   We will also introduce the concept of reciprocal resiliency.   Through exercises learned in class, students will learn to choose to focus thoughts on fixing the issue at hand.  Students will also learn to recognize their personal “triggers;” when they are spiraling down; and how to check themselves to stop a downward spiral.