#MacPFD15
Workshop Abstract

Resiliency for the Future

Presenters:

Ashley Fry-O'Rourke & Mary-Lou Martin.

Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

The Problem: 

Strategies to promote healthcare provider mental wellness need to be addressed, not only at an individual level, but as an organizational priority. Supporting health and well-being continues to be a focus for many people and organizations, especially as we continue to learn to live with the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in our world. To recover and grow, we must focus on our resiliency for the future. According to McKinnon and McCabe (2022) during the third and fourth waves of the pandemic, Canada one in four healthcare workers meet criteria for a probable diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, six in ten report clinically significant levels of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, and seven in ten healthcare workers report feeling numb or detached from other people, activities or their surroundings. 

The Approach:

Resilience is dynamic and defined as the ability to “bounce back” and overcome challenges or difficulties. It is crucial for one to recognize what makes them resilient, acknowledge what negatively interferes with their ability to be resilient, and to know ways to optimize resiliency so that we can continue to grow and be well. In acknowledging the activities, we can engage in to promote our resiliency, we can make action plans to best support ourselves and/or our teams to be more resilient. 

The Instructional Methods:

The session will begin with a mindfulness exercise. Through facilitator discussion on how our resiliency can be influenced throughout our life, participants will be encouraged to reflect and brain storm on what impacts their ability to be resilient. Facilitators will offer an approach to making a resilient action-plan that they can develop and revise as they continue to grow and navigate challenges. Participants will then go into breakout rooms for individual and small group activity to share ideas on how to promote resiliency within themselves, or within their teams. Participants will then come back to the large group for a discussion afterwards. The outcome will include the beginning of an action plan and access to a list of resources.