The Resilient Supporter
Cultivating Personal and Collective Resilience
As a true supporter, pouring so much of your energy into others can feel like an isolating role. The Resilient Supporter is a multi-session program for individuals in all roles — from corporate leaders to caregivers — who know they can’t pour from an empty cup. This training provides the practical skills you need to navigate your own challenges, while cultivating the authentic empathy and inner strength required to lead and serve others.
Key Takeaways
Personal Resilience: Knowledge and tools for navigating your own stress and developing a strong inner core.
Leading with Empathy: Strategies for understanding others’ needs and leading with genuine compassion.
From Learning to Action: A personalized action plan for applying your new skills in real-world scenarios.
Who It’s For:
The Resilient Supporter is designed for anyone in a supportive role who wants to nurture and protect the potential in those they care for, without sacrificing their own well-being. This program is dedicated to understanding how toxic stress and trauma disrupt the natural path to resilience and how, through intentional care, that potential can be reclaimed and nurtured. We’ve had a wide range of professionals and community members find value in this program, including:
Professionals like therapists, social workers, program managers, day-care staff, and professors who serve others in a professional capacity
Caregivers who are caring for family whether, they are foster parents, or adults caring for their own aging parents/adult family members.
Community Organizers and Leaders who work to create positive change in their communities, like clergy members/faith leaders, mentors, and volunteers
This multi-session program is designed to be interactive, blending research-backed insights with practical, real-world application. Participants can now choose one of two distinct tracks to attend. Click on the “+” to see each sessions description.
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Our program begins by creating a foundation for shared understanding. This session is designed to provide an evidence-based perspective on the challenges you face in your role. We will explore the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and examine how an adult's mental health and behavior are shaped by events and circumstances prior to adulthood. This insight will serve as a powerful tool to reframe your approach and deepen your impact.
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This session will provide you with a deeper understanding of the biological impact of adversity. We will explore how traumatic or highly stressful experiences at any age can affect brain development and functioning. By connecting the physical changes in the brain to a person's emotions and behaviors, you will gain a new perspective on the individuals you serve and a deeper sense of empathy for the challenges they face. We will also touch on concepts like sensory processing and other common signs of mental health struggles.
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In our third session, we will take the concepts and the new mindset from the first two sessions and move into the realm of practical application. We’ll focus on how to use our newfound understanding to interpret real-world situations using active observation and listening skills. This session is designed to help participants strengthen their ability to recognize subtle signs and symptoms from a compassionate and non-judgemental perspective. This is a critical step in turning theory into practice.
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This session shifts focus to the caregiver, providing the tools to sustain the capacity for empathy and compassion. We will learn to identify the key differences between burnout—the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes from sustained stress—and vicarious trauma—the emotional residue of working with traumatized individuals. We'll guide participants through a practical process to evaluate their own well-being and begin to build a personal resilience plan. The goal is to equip participants with strategies to not just survive, but thrive in their demanding roles.
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This final session is about shifting from reactivity to responsiveness. We'll challenge common misconceptions about managing difficult moments with adults, and introduce a more empathetic approach focused on encouraging self-regulation. Participants will learn action steps to de-escalate a situation in real-time, helping the individual find a path to calm rather than just solving the immediate problem. Most importantly, we'll put these skills to the test through a series of scenarios and role-playing exercises, building the confidence to navigate challenging moments with a clear head and a steady heart. We’ll conclude with a final reflection to tie all the pieces of our program together
Track 1 The Resilient Supporter-for those who serve adults
Track 2 The Resilient Supporter-for those who serve youth
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This program begins by creating a safe space for participants to share their experiences and connect with one another. Our first session provides a foundation for understanding the youth being served by introducing the core concepts of childhood trauma and adversity, including cultural and historic trauma. We'll explore the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study and then set a baseline by reviewing typical child development. This session is designed to give participants a framework for understanding the science and behaviours we'll explore in the sessions to come.
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This session will fundamentally change how you view challenging behaviours. We go beyond the surface and explore how trauma and toxic stress physically disrupt the developing brain. By understanding the biological reasons behind challenging behaviours, we’ll be able to move past frustration and begin dismantling stigmatizing beliefs that have held us back from manifesting the types of emotional and behavioural changes that most impact children and youth.
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In our third session, we will take the concepts and the new mindset from the first two sessions and move into the realm of practical application. We’ll focus on how to use our newfound understanding to interpret real-world situations using active observation and listening skills. This session is designed to help participants strengthen their ability to recognize subtle signs and symptoms from a compassionate and non-judgemental perspective. This is a critical step in turning theory into practice.
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This session marks a critical shift in our journey. While our focus has been on understanding children and youth, we’ll now turn our attention inward, recognizing that caring for ourselves is the first and most important action step in building resilience in others. We’ll start by exploring the very real risks that come with caring for others from burnout to compassion fatigue. Participants will then get the chance to honestly evaluate their own level of resilience, and with that new insight, begin to build a personal resilience plan. This isn’t just about coping with stress; it’s a deep, meaningful strategies for cultivating a life that can withstand and grow from adversity.
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By this point, participants are ready to begin practicing one of the most vital skills in caregiving: effective de-escalation. We’ll challenge problematic misconceptions about handling heated situations, and introduce a new, more controlled and empathetic approach. Participants will learn a set of action steps rooted in safety and compassion that aim to prevent a repeat of the behaviour, rather than just solving the immediate problem. These skills will be put to the test through a series of scenarios and exercises, giving participants the confidence to navigate heated moments with a clear head and a steady heart.
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In this final session, we’ll transition to breaking down the positive behaviours in children and teens that resilience is built on and introduce tools for evaluating those behaviours. We will use this information to pinpoint where to begin and what to focus on first. By the end of this session, you won’t just have new knowledge; you’ll have a clear framework for applying everything we’ve learned to make a lasting impact. Our time will conclude with a final reflection to tie all of the pieces of our program together.
Getting Started
The Resilient Supporter is a multi-session program designed to be accessible to a wide variety of individuals. For this reason, I use equity-based pricing tiers.
I use the honour code and ask that you self-identify by choosing the price point that is most appropriate for you and your circumstances
Full Rate: $950 (for professionals who can afford the cost or whose organizations will reimburse them)
Community Rate: $570 (a significantly discounted rate for those paying out-of-pocket)
I occassionally offer a “pay what you can” rate for those for whom the community rate is still cost-prohibitive. Please feel free to reach out to inquire about availability.