Originally presented 6 November 2019
In this 90-minute webinar, participants will learn more about responses to traumatic stress with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder, resilience and post-traumatic growth. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and even significant sources of stress…” Post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been defined as “positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with traumatic or highly challenging circumstances.” This session will review psychosocial, neurobiological and spiritual factors that have been associated with resilience and PTG. It will highlight that there is a science to mastering life’s greatest challenges, that virtually anyone can learn to become more resilient, and that growth is possible even in the context of pain, suffering and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Much of the scientific data and most of the case examples will come from active duty military members and Veterans who have survived severe traumas. The relevance of resilience and PTG research to clinical work/treatment with trauma survivors will be discussed with the ultimate goal of enhancing well-being among military trauma survivors.
Learning Objectives:
- Define resilience and posttraumatic growth.
- Discuss psychosocial factors associated with resilience and posttraumatic growth.
- Appraise the potential relationship between PTSD and posttraumatic growth.
- Articulate ways to enhance active duty military and Veteran well-being through resilience-enhancing strategies.
