Paradoxes in Resilience: Leveraging Moments of Grief, Illness, Hardship and Sudden Change to Accelerate Growth

“The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.”

Neils Bohr, Nobel Prize Winner, Physics

As clinicians, supervisors, and managers we are frequently trained to navigate territories of wellness and illness, of capacity and incapacity as if they exist on a spectrum. On one end we are well, at the other end we are ill. Yet, recent research in the fields of positive psychology and resilience enable us to understand that foundational change often occurs at the point of paradox: when we can enable our clients, supervisees and teams to hold happiness and grief, anxiety and hope, imperfection and magnificence with equal appreciation, wisdom and care. Integrating research that considers the best of humanity, the best of systems and of organizations, we will examine the role of positivity, appreciative inquiry, and emerging models of authenticity and meaning to consider how to elevate positive deviancy when clients/supervisees are struggling deeply. Core characteristics of resilience will be addressed, and then considered from the perspective of paradox: how might we (for example) increase grit even when symptoms have increased? How might we accelerate optimism, even as anxiety becomes rampant? What does a helpful hope look like when our world has been shattered?

This approach enables us to complement our current models of treatment with supportive tools and strategies, while providing a meta-framework that potentiates health in the presence of great difficulty. Accentuating positive resources, especially in challenging moments, enables us to provide a greater emotional, cognitive and neurochemical balance to our system of being. While a singular focus on symptom reduction and psychopathology may provide relief, it may do little to construct an internal scaffolding of capacity that reminds clients of the fullness of their resources, strengths, wisdom and adaptability.

Participants will be invited to consider how to best influence positive change in their current practice or management role through examination of clinical vignettes, small group discussion, and in vivo practice of tools/perspectives. Further, this work has an additional benefit of reducing the anxiety, strain and/or fatigue we experience as providers when the stress of our work escalates, either through the distress of our particular patients, or through the growth of systemic disruption.