Thriving in the Face of Change, Challenge and Stress
Edmond Otis BA, MSc, MFT
Resilience is the ability to bounce back – and move forward – from periods of change and adversity, stress and trauma, loss, disappointment, and perhaps most importantly, the strain and intensity of just doing the “day-to-day”
in today’s world. We know that those most at risk – many of today’s youth – need resilience more than anything.
Skills for greater resilience are achievable for those who are vulnerable – they can be learned and developed – like any other skill.
Our capacity for resilience is directly related to our capacity for flexibility, adaptability, productivity and longevity. Additionally, resilience contributes significantly to making good decisions when we are under stress, reaching out for help when we don’t know what to do, and noticing and helping those around us who may be in trouble.
Resilience Training makes the challenges we face “smaller” – simply by making us “bigger” and more capable.
Suggested format: Three initial 45–60 minute interactive sessions for groups of about 20 people, followed by a fourth wrap-up summery session. Other format options are available based on site, student year, group flexibility and need.
Participants learn to apply cognitive concepts and skills from sport, health, and performance psychology – to living everyday life and facing challenges from a positive perspective.
Anticipated learning outcomes: Students will learn to apply three specific “Think the Way Resilient People Think” strategies for when they find themselves in difficult or challenging situations.
A training to specifically address the types of stressors we most commonly face. We will help participants understand how stress works, and how it affects our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours (including self-destructive and addictive behaviours). Most importantly, this session focuses on providing participants actual, practical, personal and inter-personal stress management techniques and skills that they will be able to use immediately.
Anticipated learning outcomes: Students will learn 2-3 specific useful stress management techniques for the times that they can’t change their situation.
We all need to communicate, but for a lot of us, the conversations we really need to have, are the hardest for us to start and finish. They are the ones we end up avoiding – which often just makes things worse. Some good ways to figure out what you need to say, to who, and how to say it.
Anticipated learning outcomes: Students will learn 3-4 specific face-to-face communication techniques and strategies that will help them communicate more effectively with peers, parents, family, teachers, and strangers – specifically when they need to – but don’t know how.
Edmond is a health educator, licensed psychotherapist, and speaker who works with select clients, athletes, sport teams, businesses, schools, and public, private and health organisations, in New Zealand and the US, to increase resilience, improve performance, reduce stress, facilitate change, and facilitate better outcomes.
Edmond and his family moved to New Zealand in 2008 and became citizens in 2015. He is a senior lecturer in Health and Sport Science at EIT. Prior to moving, Edmond was a Senior Lecturer in Humanities at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) where, he was twice recipient of the University Distinguished Teaching Award, and held positions across Psychology, Honours, the Graduate School of Education, Physical Education, and served as Director of Martial Arts in Athletics.
– I'm continually fascinated by the endless ways our actions, our thoughts, our emotions, and our elationships – impact our performance, our success, our health, and our happiness.