Young Adults
We have developed a brief, group-based behavioral intervention called Resilience Training for young aduls with mild risk-factors for developing mental health conditions. In Resilience Training, we introduce young adults to tools that research has shown may help them manage the particular challenges of this time of life, with the goal of reducing the likelihood that these challenges become overwhelming and debilitating. We offer these services as a part of ongoing research studies.
Early adulthood represents a period of great change. There are major opportunities for growth but also new challenges and major stresses, particularly as young people learn to navigate adult relationships and the demands of higher education, as well as prepare to embark on a career and achieve financial independence. These challenges occur in the context of living apart from family for the first time or living at home while trying to establish a new type of autonomy.
Resilience Training introduces techniques that increase mindfulness, positive mood, compassion, and self-efficacy.
Resilience Training workshops can be conducted in-person, on-campus. We have also adapted this program to be conducted via Zoom and in the unique environment of virtual reality - more information about our VR-based resilience training program can be found here.
Training Program for College Staff
Currently, we are now offering a free training program for staff of universities or colleges who work closely with college students. In this training, we teach people how to lead a Resilience Training workshop. This training is offered to anyone who works with college students, including advisers, administrators, professors, lecturers, counseling center staff, and trainees. This training consists of 8 hours of live teaching, which includes experiental exercises, role-playing, and group discussions, as well as weekly supervision and all of the materials needed to facilitate the workshop. If you or your institution is interested in receiving this training, please contact Katherine Dokholyan (kdokholyan@mgh.harvard.edu)
For more information about this training, you can watch this video:
You can learn more about our young adult program from a publication that describes its overall design: Rationale, Methods, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Transdiagnostic Prevention Program for At-Risk College Students, and a publication that describes the results of a randomized controlled trial demonstrating its efficacy: Efficacy of a transdiagnostic, prevention-focused program for at-risk young adults: A waitlist-controlled trial.
Also here’s a link to a 9/24/20 webinar about the program: Becoming an Adult in a Pandemic: Tools for Resilience and Prevention of Mental Illness
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