Strengths-Based Resilience
Training Programme 2022

Learn for Life Lanka (L4LL) is working with several organizations to integrate Strengths-Based Resilience (SBR) into the lives of young people. In order to encourage the process of adoption L4LL conducted a 4-day residential training programme for teachers and artists from 24-27 March 2022 at SOS Children’s Village in Piliyandala. Various organisations and institutes such as the National Institute of Education, Foundation of Goodness, Serendib Educational Foundation, Atlas and Stages joined forces with us in this concerted endeavour. The training programme which was full of activities and other interactive sessions aimed to encourage the incorporation of Strengths-Based Resilience (SBR) skills into teaching modules at both schools and other projects. The programme was conducted by world renowned clinical psychologist, Dr Tayyab Rashid.

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WHAT IS STRENGTHS-BASED RESILIENCE (SBR)

The Strengths-Based Resilience (SBR) programme was developed by Dr Rashid and his co-collaborators through rigorous research on positive psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness. It is a tool to aid in cultivating resilience in the face of life’s demands in areas such as education, work and relationships. Although individuals are unable to avoid the reality of day-to-day obstacles and setbacks, they can bolster their strengths, expand their potential and master new skills to face the challenges they come across.

WHAT IS STRENGTHS-BASED RESILIENCE (SBR)

Given below are some of the primary goals of the SBR training.

Integrating mindfulness, relaxation, and thankfulness into everyday self-care routines.
Creating a personal resilience story/narrative.
Developing a more adaptable thinking approach.
Identifying and utilizing one’s own strengths to cope with difficulties.
Building in slowness and savouring
Bring into play positive communication for healthy relationships.
Making a difference in society through altruism.
Seeking a feeling of significance through the exploration of oneself via retrospection and anticipation.

Who is

Dr Tayyab Rashid?

Dr. Tayyab Rashid is a certified clinical psychologist at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Health & Wellness Centre. He has dealt with people living with a range of mental health conditions such as severe depression, crippling anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and suicide ideation for over 15 years. Dr. Rashid, in addition to maintaining an active clinical practice, has built what is perhaps Canada’s biggest quantitative-qualitative longitudinal database on important markers to better understand the complicated, contextualized, and culturally sensitive elements of young adults’ mental health.

Dr. Rashid has also been called on to assist in times of catastrophe and conflict, working for example with 9/11 families, Asian tsunami survivors, and Syrian refugee families. Since 2005, he has actively worked with racialized and marginalized youth and families in several areas of Toronto, such as Regent Park, Rexdale, and Thorncliff Park, to dispel cultural, personal, and public stigma surrounding mental health concerns and extend access to treatment, particularly through wellbeing and resilience.

His work has been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Maclean’s magazine, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and at TEDx. He has been published in academic journals and featured in psychiatry and psychotherapy textbooks too. Since its release in late 2018, Positive Psychotherapy, a clinician handbook co-authored with Martin Seligman, has been translated into many languages and is largely regarded as the most comprehensive work in the field.

He is a regular international speaker and has conducted training programmes for mental health professionals at prestigious academic institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, the University of Paris, London, Melbourne, Maastricht, and many of Canada’s major institutions. He is the first president of IPPA’s Clinical Division and co-chairs a National Campus Mental Health Group in Canada, which has helped shape policies toward a systematic approach to young people’s mental health. He was awarded the Outstanding Practitioner Award from the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) as well as the Chancellor Award from the University of Toronto in 2018 for his matchless contribution towards the field of psychology.

Video

FOSTERING A RESILIENT GENERATION

What is Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL)/Emotional Intelligence and why is it important to education in Sri Lanka. Watch this video to learn about SEL from the Learn for Life Lanka (L4LL) team including a special feature by Dr. Tayyab Rashid, world renowned Clinical Psychologist, and Author who generously supports our work by providing us with expertise rooted in rigorous scientific thought and evidence based practical interventions. In this video, you will also hear from our Co-founder Murtaza Esufally on his motivation to do this work and how teaching socio-emotional skills improves the overall wellbeing of students and helps foster a resilient generation in Sri Lanka.