RESILIENCEBuilding Blocks of Resilience for Professional Caregivers

Chaplain James Durnil, M.Div

Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin

Personal Background• Chaplain• Pastor-Evangelical Lutheran Church in America• Half Century

Resilience Background• Unintentional• Professionally• Personally

Stress

Demand

Resources

Stress: Lack Of ControlStress: Lack Of Meaning

stress

Actual Event

Perceived Event

You can control your perception and response

CatastrophizingYour boss notices you are a little more negative than usual and asks if there is something happening

= The boss is watching. I’m probably going to get fired. I will have to sell my condo and find a cheap apartment…etc.

Creating a scenario that has no basis in any kind of reality…The Runaway Story (The Legend of Rhonda Brickmann)

What is Resilience?•The ability to adapt to adverse conditions while maintaining a sense of purpose, balance, and positive mental and physical wellbeing.

•The Power to cope with adversity and adapt to challenges or change

What is Resilience?•Inner strength; hardiness, the ability to trust in personal attributes

•Self protection; ability to create boundaries between work and home

Perspectives and Behaviors Associated

With Resilience

Self-knowledge and Insight

•Having a clear sense of who you are, what you believe, value and FEEL

• Identifying your strengths and weaknesses

• Good boundaries

Laughter

• Don’t let worry kill you off – let the church help.• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our

church and community.• The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new

campaign slogan last Sunday:” I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

Challenge Or Threat

Acceptance• Setbacks and failures seen as “regular” events, rather than surprises,

High Adaptability• Learn to reframe the event in a more manageable and

less threatening way.• Optimistic and approachable

You Might Be Resilient • Past Experiences

• Jobs

• Physical/Health

• Loss

• Personal Examples

How do we do it

What’s Happening Right Now

Resilience is experienced when cohesive working teams, colleagues or mentors provide physical or psychological support including opportunities to self-reflect, debrief or validate as well as provide relief through humor and team camaraderie.

Mindfulness•We have today•Attention

• Gratitude Exercise

•Meditation• Simple• The Word• Intentional awareness

Resilience APP

Available on Google Play, The App Store, and Amazon

http://www.resiliencescale.com/en/rstest/rstest_14_en.html

ResourcesSood, Amit: Guide to Stress Free Living (2013) Mayo Foundation For Medical Educatio

Siebert, Al: The Resiliency Advantage (2005) Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc

Spidell, Steven (2014) Resilience and Professional Chaplaincy: A Paradigm Shift in Focus Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 20:16–24

Pipe, et al. Building Personal and Professional Resources of Resilience and Agility in the Healthcare WorkplacePublished online 13 March 2011 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/smi.1396