Hi Kerry.
While you make a valid point about the types of presentations that may empower service providers, I can't agree that resilience is just a better tuned up nervous system. While our nervous system obviously plays a major role in an individual's capacity for a resilient response to adversity, this is a very individualistic perspective embedded within earlier research on resilience.
I believe the top people in resilience research would argue that resilience is so much more. It is a transactional process embedded within a social ecology. Reaching IN...Reaching OUT was asked by the Ministry of Child & Youth Services in Ontario, Canada to develop a synthesis review on resilience. As part of that work, we developed a definition that pulls together the most up-to-date research and perspectives on resilience.
Definition of resilience: Here is the link to a brief FAQ sheet we wrote on what resilience is and is not -- see "Resilience in 8 Q&As" at: http://www.reachinginreachingo...20Answers%202010.pdf
I hope this will be helpful to anyone working to support resilience in children and adults.
Re presentations about resilience: I agree with Kerry that leaving people with some tangible strategies they can use to support resilience is really important. However, it is not really possible in a short period of a presentation to do the kind of skills training that makes major shifts and changes. In this case, if I had to choose what things were most important, I'd vote for:
1) emphasizing that RELATIONSHIPS are the KEY to RESILIENCE;
2) that children often learn best through ADULT ROLE MODELING during everyday interactions;
3) if ADULTS ROLE MODEL CALMNESS AND PATIENCE using deep breathing techniques (3 deep breaths and repeat as necessary) , this can help children and adults gain greater self-regulation which, in turn, contributes to building a "culture of resilience" at home, classroom and playground.
Cheers,
Darlene Kordich Hall, PhD
Reaching IN...Reaching OUT
www.reachinginreachingout.com