## Module 10: Developing Resilience {#module-10-developing-resilience .NVAA-Heading-2 .unnumbered}

### Time Required {#time-required .NVAA-Heading-3}

2 hours

### Purpose {#purpose .NVAA-Heading-3}

This module emphasizes a strength-based action approach to inform victim
assistance providers and managers about resilience and to provide
strategies to develop and strengthen resilience. There is a growing body
of research that suggests that the negative impact of stressful
situations is reduced through the use of adaptive coping responses. This
module details five core elements of resilience and proposes specific
traits and strategies within each element to decrease stress among
victim assistance providers and to increase quality services to victims
of crime.

### Lessons {#lessons .NVAA-Heading-3}

1.  What Is Resilience? (30 minutes)

2.  Five Core Elements of Resilience (1 hour)

3.  Personal Resilience Development Plan (30 minutes)

### Learning Objectives {#learning-objectives .NVAA-Heading-3}

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

-   Identify negative and positive effects of doing trauma-related work.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Describe the five core elements of resilience.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Develop personal strategies to strengthen their resilience.

### Worksheets {#worksheets .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Worksheet 10.1, Resiliency Assessment

-   Worksheet 10.2, Personal Resilience Development Plan

-   Worksheet 10.3, Resilience Strategies

### Equipment and Materials {#equipment-and-materials .NVAA-Heading-3}

No special equipment or materials are required.

### Preparation {#preparation .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Read Chapter 10, Developing Resilience in the Participant's Text.

### Introduction  {#introduction .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Show Visual 10-1.

Review the purpose and learning objectives for this module.

This module emphasizes a strength-based action approach to inform victim
assistance providers and managers about resilience and to provide
strategies to develop and strengthen resilience. A growing body of
research suggests that the negative impact of stressful situations can
be reduced through the use of adaptive coping responses. This module
details five core elements of resilience and proposes specific traits
and strategies within each element to decrease stress among victim
assistance providers and to increase the quality of services to victims
of crime.

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

-   Identify negative and positive effects of doing trauma-related work.

-   Describe five core elements of resilience.

-   Develop personal strategies to strengthen their resilience.

### 1. What Is Resilience? (30 minutes) {#what-is-resilience-30-minutes .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Show Visual 10-2.

-   Show Visual 10-3. Negative Impact of Trauma Work.

Explain that there are many terms that professionals use to refer to the
troubling aspects of trauma-related work: secondary stress, burnout,
compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, cumulative stress,
countertransference, and emotional contagion.

Ask participants to identify some of the negative personal effects of
working in the trauma field that they have noticed either in themselves
or in others.

-   Show Visual 10-4. Negative Personal Effects of Working in the Trauma
    Field.

Review the following negative personal effects, highlighting those that
were not identified by participants.

-   Numbing defenses (i.e., avoidance, denial, distancing)

-   Rage

-   Shame

-   Horror

-   Grief

-   Disturbed sleep

-   Anger

-   Fear

-   Nightmares

-   Flashbacks

-   Irritability

-   Anxiety

-   Alienation

-   Loss of control

-   Suicidal thoughts

-   Physical distress

-   Low self-esteem

-   Disturbing images

    -   Show Visual 10-5. Positive Aspects of Working in the Victim
        Services Field.

Many victim service providers are strengthened and energized by the work
that they do.

-   Show Visual 10-6.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Activity: What Keeps You Coming Back? (10 minutes)

***The purpose of this activity is to reinforce the positive aspects of
victim services work for each participant.***

1.  ***Have participants form groups of two.***

2.  ***Ask each participant to take a few moments and silently identify
    their personal reasons or rewards for doing the work they do.***

3.  ***Ask each participant to share their reasons with their
    partners.***

4.  ***After each participant has shared, ask participants to share
    their responses with the large group.***

-   Show Visual 10-7. Resilience.

There are both positive and negative effects of victim services work.
This module focuses on strengthening resilience as an effective tool for
self-care.

Resilience is:

-   One's ability to return to healthy functioning after being in a
    stressful situation

-   The power to cope with adversity and adapt to challenges or change.

### 2. Five Core Elements of Resilience (1 hour) {#five-core-elements-of-resilience-1-hour .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Show Visuals 10-8.

-   Show Visual 10-9. Core Elements of Resilience.

There are five core elements of resilience, each with distinct
components and specific strategies that victim service providers can use
to foster their own resilience. Each victim service provider can learn
to be more resilient.

Core elements of resilience:

-   Self-knowledge and insight

-   Sense of hope

-   Healthy coping

-   Strong relationships

-   Personal perspective and meaning

    -   Show Visual 10-10. Resilience Core Element 1: Self-Knowledge and
        Insight.

Review description of this core element.

Self-knowledge and insight:

-   Knowing who you are.

-   Having a clear sense of what you believe and how you feel.

-   Identifying your strengths and weaknesses.

Self-knowledge and insight were identified by program directors and
practitioners as the major contributors to optimal functioning among
human services providers.

-   Show Visual 10-11. Components of Self-Knowledge and Insight.

Each of the core elements of resiliency has several components. Review
the components associated with self-knowledge and insight.

-   **Positive self-esteem:** Liking and respecting yourself enough to
    be able to focus on the needs of others, rather than constantly
    seeking someone else's approval and affirmation.

-   **Strong inner locus of control:** Recognizing that you have the
    ability to influence many outcomes in your life.

-   **Independence:** Making independent choices and relying less on
    others to make decisions for you.

    Ask participants to turn to Worksheet 10.1, Resiliency Assessment,
    in their Participant's Manual and complete the first group of
    self-assessments for the core element of resilience, self-knowledge
    and insight. Participants will do this without sharing their
    self-assessments.

    -   Show Visual 10-12. Strategies To Develop Self-Knowledge and
        Insight.

Review each of the following strategies, providing examples.

-   Explore your motivation for working with victims of crime.

-   Identify your own strengths and challenges.

-   Identify themes associated with discomfort.

-   Clarify goals, mission, and boundaries of the organization.

-   Know your code of ethics.

-   Recognize limits of control.

-   Get adequate training.

-   Individualize services to each victim.

    -   Show Visual 10-13. Resilience Core Element 2: Sense of Hope.

Review the description of this core element.

Sense of hope:

-   Belief that situations can get better.

-   Positive outlook: Belief that future will be better than the present
    or past.

-   Recognize the difficulty of the experiences of the victims you
    serve, yet maintain a positive view toward life's challenges.

    -   Show Visual 10-14. Components of Sense of Hope.

Review the components of the sense of hope.

-   Optimism: Capacity to envision a solution.

-   Sense of humor and ability to have fun.

    -   Show Visual 10-15. Strategies To Develop Sense of Hope.

Review each of the following strategies, providing examples.

-   Develop opportunities to succeed.

-   Practice gratitude.

-   Change or expand your job description.

-   Give praise.

-   Diversify client types.

-   Seek advanced professional development.

-   Decorate your office.

-   Find appropriate ways to have fun.

    Ask participants to turn to Worksheet 10.1, Resilience Assessment in
    their Participant's Manual and complete the self-ratings for sense
    of hope. Participants will do this without sharing their
    self-assessments.

    -   Show Visual 10-16. Resilience Core Element 3: Healthy Coping.

Review the description of this core element.

Healthy coping:

-   Moving beyond attitudes and feelings to deliberately put skills and
    abilities in action to balance the negative aspects of work with
    positive activities.

-   Paying attention to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs
    and doing something about them.

-   Building on skills and abilities and planning for and addressing
    negative feelings proactively.

    -   Show Visual 10-17. Components of Healthy Coping.

Review the components of healthy coping:

-   Using skills and abilities.

-   Creativity.

-   Effective planning.

-   Addressing negativity proactively.

    -   Show Visual 10-18. Strategies To Develop Healthy Coping.

Review each of the following strategies, providing examples:

-   Learn to identify your physical stress reactions.

-   Balance your life.

-   Get adequate sleep.

-   Change the pace.

-   Develop calming and modulation techniques.

-   Assess safety in your work environment.

-   Use regular supervision.

-   Use technology and resources wisely.

    Ask participants to turn to Worksheet 10.1, Resilience Assessment in
    their Participant's Manual and complete the self-ratings for healthy
    coping. Participants will do this without sharing their
    self-assessments.

    -   Show Visual 10-19. Resilience Core Element 4: Strong
        Relationships.

Review the definition of this core element.

Strong relationships:

-   Belonging is a basic human need.

-   Positive connections with others.

-   Personal networks of support.

    -   Show Visual 10-20. Components of Strong Relationships.

Review the components of strong relationships:

-   Attachments to others.

-   Seeking and giving support.

    -   Show Visual 10-21. Strategies To Develop Strong Relationships.

Review each of the following strategies, providing examples:

-   Enhance communication skills.

-   Learn boundaries of confidentiality.

-   Collaborate.

-   Discuss cases.

-   Seek inclusiveness and diversity.

-   Foster a team approach.

-   Address conflict resolution proactively.

-   Strive to be genuine, empathetic, and warm.

    Ask participants to turn to Worksheet 10.1, Resilience Assessment in
    their Participant's Manual and complete the self-ratings for strong
    relationships. Participants will do this without sharing their
    self-assessments.

    -   Show Visual 10-22. Resilience Core Element 5: Personal
        Perspective and Meaning.

Review the description of this core element.

> Personal perspective and meaning:

-   Personal points of view---weighing the costs, losses, and benefits
    associated with victim-services work.

-   Individual morality, integrity, spirituality.

-   Coherent meaning for life.

    -   Show Visual 10-23. Components of Personal Perspective and
        Meaning.

Review the components of personal perspective and meaning:

-   **Morality and integrity:** Ability to recognize right from wrong,
    low tolerance for destructive behavior, courage to take risks in the
    face of adversity.

-   **Spirituality.** Hold spiritual beliefs and/or practice the
    religious manifestation of them through worship, prayer, meditation
    and other practices.

-   **Coherent life meaning:** Identify personal values and engage in
    behaviors that manifest those values.

    -   Show Visual 10-24. Strategies To Develop Personal Perspective
        and Meaning.

Review each of the following strategies for developing a strong personal
perspective and meaning and provide examples:

-   Assess your personal values.

-   Integrate new understanding in your work.

-   Assess your perspective of suffering.

-   Question old beliefs.

-   Foster altruism.

-   Engage in social activism.

-   Include meaning and values in assessment of victims' strengths.

-   Discard activities that are not coherent with values.

    Ask participants to turn to Worksheet 10.1, Resilience Assessment in
    their Participant's Manual and complete the self-ratings for
    personal perspective and meaning. Participants will do this without
    sharing their self-assessments.

###  {#section .NVAA-Heading-3}

### 3. Personal Resilience Development Plan (30 minutes) {#personal-resilience-development-plan-30-minutes .NVAA-Heading-3}

-   Show Visuals 10-25 and 10-26.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Activity: Personal Resilience Development Plan (25 minutes)

***Participants will work individually to identify those areas in which
they would like to become more resilient, and to identify a strategy and
action steps that will help them achieve this.***

1.  ***Ask participants to (individually) review their completed
    Worksheet 10.1, Resilience Assessment, noting areas where they have
    scored themselves as "1" or "2."***

2.  ***Using* Worksheet 10.2, Personal Resilience Development Plan*, ask
    participants to: ***

-   ***Identify a few areas where they have scored themselves as "1" or
    "2" in which they would like to become more resilient. Participants
    are to write these areas in the column titled Resilience
    Challenge.***

-   ***Using* Worksheet 10.3, Resilience Strategies*, ask them to
    identify the strategy they would like to use to strengthen their
    resilience. Write the strategy in the Strategy column. ***

-   ***For the Action Plan column, ask them to jot down a few specific
    actions they will take to implement the strategy.***

    ***3. In pairs, ask participants to share parts of their Personal
    Resilience Development Plan.***

    ***4. In a large group, ask if a few participants would be willing
    to share a challenge, strategy, and action plan.***

    ***5. Underscore the importance of self-care and making realistic
    plans to begin using strategies to further develop self-care.***

    -   Show Visual 10-27. Review of Module Learning Objectives.

Review the learning objectives and ask whether these were met.

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

-   Identify negative and positive effects of doing trauma-related work.

-   Describe the five core elements of resilience.

-   Develop personal strategies to strengthen their resilience.

    Worksheet 10.1

    Resilience Assessment

With "5" being high and "1" being low, put a circle around the number
that you believe best represents you and a square around the number that
you believe best represents your agency.

**Self-Knowledge and Insight**

Self-Esteem 5 4 3 2 1

Inner Locus of Control 5 4 3 2 1

Independence 5 4 3 2 1

**Sense of Hope**

Optimism 5 4 3 2 1

Sense of Humor/Ability to Have Fun 5 4 3 2 1

**Healthy Coping**

Utilization of Skills and Abilities 5 4 3 2 1

Creativity 5 4 3 2 1

Planning 5 4 3 2 1

Addressing Negativity Proactively 5 4 3 2 1

**Strong Relationships**

Attachment to Others 5 4 3 2 1

Seeking and Giving Support 5 4 3 2 1

**Personal Perspective and Meaning**

Morality and Integrity 5 4 3 2 1

Spirituality 5 4 3 2 1

Coherent Life Meaning 5 4 3 2 1

Worksheet 10.2

Personal Resilience Development Plan

**Resilience Challenge Column:** Write down those areas in which you
scored yourself as a "1" or "2" on the Resilience Assessment and would
like to improve your resilience.

**Strategy Column:** Using **Worksheet 10.3, Resilience Strategies**,
identify a strategy you will use to strengthen your resilience in these
areas.

**Action Plan Column:** Based on the strategy you have identified, write
down action steps you will take to implement the strategy.

  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------
  **Resilience            **Strategy**            **Action Plan**
  Challenge**                                     

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  
  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------

Worksheet 10.3

Resilience Strategies

-