The Dowd/Sanders Wellness
and Resilience Program
from the Positive Psychology Center, and in collaboration with Wellness at Penn, University Life, and College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS)
All Penn students are invited to take part in a series of free workshops that teach strategies and skills to help you reach your goals, manage stress, and strengthen your relationships. These tools have been used by leaders in medicine, business, sports, as well as by college students, to navigate the ups and downs of life and be at their best.
We are offering four, 90-minute workshops and you can attend as many workshops as you’d like. Each workshop focuses on different skills, so we encourage you to attend as many of the four workshops as you can, to get the most benefits.
The workshops are open to all Penn students and are offered both in-person and virtually. It’s a great opportunity to meet and build relationships with other Penn students, to share your experiences, and to learn skills that will help you now and in the years ahead.
The workshops will focus on actionable strategies to help:
- Build strong relationships
- Juggle the demands of student life
- Manage stress, change, and adversity
- Increase well-being, focus, and confidence
- Meet your academic goals
- Launch your post-Penn career
Over a million people around the world have attended these popular Penn workshops, including college students, corporate executives and managers, physicians and nurses, government leaders, and professional and collegiate sports teams, and we’re thrilled to offer these to students here on Penn’s campus.
Why does the monarch butterfly symbolize resilience?
Monarch butterflies are considered one of the world’s oldest and most resilient species. The monarch butterfly is a powerful symbol that represents change, hope, optimism, and revival in many cultural traditions. The butterfly is a reminder that change is constant and that every ending brings with it the potential for new beginnings.
Workshop Information
Workshops:
- First Workshop: Resilience and Optimism (90 minutes)
- This workshop focuses on strategies to help you harness your resilience and build the mindset of optimism. We’ll discuss the differences between unhelpful optimism (e.g., toxic positivity) and helpful optimism (e.g., realistic). We’ll unpack the six strategies of realistic optimism and how they help us mentally, physically, in our relationships, and academic life.
- This workshop focuses on strategies to help you harness your resilience and build the mindset of optimism. We’ll discuss the differences between unhelpful optimism (e.g., toxic positivity) and helpful optimism (e.g., realistic). We’ll unpack the six strategies of realistic optimism and how they help us mentally, physically, in our relationships, and academic life.
- Second Workshop: Avoid Thinking Traps (90 minutes)
- This workshop focuses on understanding common patterns of thinking that get in our way of connecting with others, feeling confident and focused, and responding to setbacks and challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to explore the thinking traps you sometimes fall into, how they affect you, and simple strategies to pull yourself out of them and readjust your mindset.
- This workshop focuses on understanding common patterns of thinking that get in our way of connecting with others, feeling confident and focused, and responding to setbacks and challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to explore the thinking traps you sometimes fall into, how they affect you, and simple strategies to pull yourself out of them and readjust your mindset.
- Third Workshop: Real-Time Resilience (90 minutes)
- This workshop focuses on strategies to quiet the unhelpful mental chatter that we often have before stressors like exams, public speaking, interviews or tryouts, meeting new people, and trying to fall asleep. We’ll practice strategies so you can feel present, engaged, and be at your best.
- This workshop focuses on strategies to quiet the unhelpful mental chatter that we often have before stressors like exams, public speaking, interviews or tryouts, meeting new people, and trying to fall asleep. We’ll practice strategies so you can feel present, engaged, and be at your best.
- Fourth Workshop: Signature Strengths (90 minutes)
- This workshop focuses on answering the question: Who are you at your best? You’ll have the opportunity to identify your top character strengths and spot them in others, e.g., kindness, critical thinking, fairness, playfulness, integrity, creativity, bravery, etc. We’ll discuss how to use your top strengths to navigate challenges, have authentic and meaningful relationships, and feel true to yourself.
- This workshop focuses on answering the question: Who are you at your best? You’ll have the opportunity to identify your top character strengths and spot them in others, e.g., kindness, critical thinking, fairness, playfulness, integrity, creativity, bravery, etc. We’ll discuss how to use your top strengths to navigate challenges, have authentic and meaningful relationships, and feel true to yourself.
Dates, Times, Locations:
You can register for one of the following four groups that best fits your schedule. Each group will offer the four workshops described above.
- In-Person: Sundays from 3:00-4:30 pm (open to all Penn students, undergraduate and graduate)
- September 10: Houston Hall, Bodek Lounge
- October 1: Houston Hall, Hall of Flags
- October 22: Houston Hall, Hall of Flags
- October 29: Irvine Auditorium, Amado Recital Hall
- In-Person: Tuesdays from 5:30-7:00 pm (open to all Penn students, undergraduate and graduate)
- September 12: Irvine Auditorium, Café 58
- September 19: Irvine Auditorium, Café 58
- September 26: Houston Hall, Bodek Lounge
- October 3: Houston Hall, Bodek Lounge
- Virtual by Zoom: Tuesdays from 7:00-8:30 pm (open only to Penn graduate students; zoom link will be sent to registrants via email)
- September 12
- September 19
- September 26
- October 3
- Virtual by Zoom: Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30 pm (open to all Penn students, undergraduate and graduate)
- September 13
- September 20
- September 27
- October 4
Sign Up!
Sign up for the Wellness and Resilience Workshops
Pamela and Arthur Sanders Family
This program was created by the generosity of the Pamela and Arthur Sanders Family Foundation to underscore the power and importance of instilling resilience and wellness among Penn students.
About the Collaborators
Wellness at Penn is dedicated to caring for students during their academic journey while creating a campus-wide community of care. Our team is committed to offering a wide range of opportunities to access support, clinical resources, and practical tools to meaningfully engage with one’s health and wellbeing.
University Life departments serve undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, providing academic and career support, campus and community engagement, and much more. Together, University Life works to nurture an inclusive campus life environment where students grow intellectually, engage in meaningful experiential opportunities, and deepen intercultural and interpersonal understanding in preparation for a life of meaning and purpose.
College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS) at Penn brings together the thirteen College Houses' students, faculty, and staff to form vibrant residential communities within the larger context of our renowned urban campus. Together, their mission is to bring the academic life of the classroom into the living spaces.
The Penn Positive Psychology Center is widely recognized as a leading organization for state-of-the-art, evidence-based resilience and well-being programs, attended by more than a million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will I receive academic credit for this program?
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No, academic credit will not be given for attending these workshops and students will not receive a grade.
- Do I need to attend all four workshops?
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You are welcome to attend as many workshops as you’d like – one, two, three, or all four workshops. We encourage you to attend as many of the four workshops as you can. We teach different skills in each workshop, and the more skills you learn, the greater the potential benefits.
- What if I miss a workshop?
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It’s no problem if you miss a workshop, though we encourage you to attend as many of the four workshops as you can, to learn more skills and get the most benefits. If you are unable to attend one of the workshops in the group you choose and want to attend this workshop in a different group, you could contact us at the following email address and we’ll try to arrange for you to attend a different group for that workshop: chiefwellnessofficer@upenn.edu.
- Can I attend workshops in different groups?
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Please choose just one of the four groups that best fits your schedule. If you are unable to attend one of the workshops in the group you choose but still want to attend this workshop, please contact us at the following email address and we’ll try to arrange for you to attend a different group for that workshop: chiefwellnessofficer@upenn.edu.
- Can these workshops benefit anyone or just particular students?
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Anyone can benefit from these workshops to navigate the ups and downs of life and be at their best. Over a million people around the world have attended these popular Penn workshops, including college students, corporate executives and managers, physicians and nurses, government leaders, and professional and collegiate sports teams.
- Are these workshops only open to students living in College Houses?
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These workshops are open to all students, undergraduate or graduate, whether or not you live in the College Houses.