Stress and Resilience Workshop

Description

Modern life challenges our ability to cope, thrive and flourish, and as a result stress has become a pressing concern for many people. Recent evidence shows that a substantial proportion of university students experience particularly high levels of stress.

This weekend workshop will include a general consideration of stress as well as reflections on pandemic-related stress. It will use an engaging "hands-on" approach to focus on the nature, causes and effects of stress and to explore a broad range of practical coping skills and resilience-building strategies. Using practical workshops and mini-lectures, the course will examine biological, psychological and social aspects of stress, and will draw on the field of positive psychology as well as a number of traditional stress and resilience theories. Participants will be shown how to develop a personal action plan for enhancing their resilience and broadening their skills for coping with both long-term stress and critical stressful incidents (using "psychological first aid").

We recognise that many OU psychology students have a "day job" that involves supporting other people who are experiencing stress. For example, many work in health and educational contexts. The workshop will include suggestions for how participants can help both themselves and other people not only to survive stressful situations but also to thrive and flourish in their personal, academic and work contexts.

Topics to be discussed will include:

• The BioPsychoSocial Nature of Stress
• Stress & Resilience in the Workplace
• Tools for Coping
• Thriving - not just surviving
• Psychological First Aid in Crisis
• Everyday Mindfulness
• Recovery from Pandemic  Effects

The workshop is being held on the Warwick campus in parallel with other psychology courses and there will be ample opportunity to meet other students and to share experiences of life as an OU student.

Tutors

• Jim Handley is a BPS Chartered, HCPC  Registered Occupational Psychologist who uses psychology to solve real world problems, with a focus on psychological well-being, resilience and behaviour change. He has a wealth of professional experience designing and delivering stress management and resilience programs for public and private sector organisations and, as an Open University tutor for more than twenty years, has a deep understanding of the particular challenges facing OU students. Jim has a well-deserved reputation for accessible, informative and  entertaining presentations.
• Neil Frude has been a tutor with OUPS for over 20 years. He is a consultant clinical psychologist, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and an Honorary Professor in Cardiff University and the University of South Wales. Neil was recently given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the BPS. He has also performed as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival,  most recently in his 2017 show "The Future of Desire". In his clinical practice he helps many people affected by stress  generated by their work environment and by other aspects of their life circumstances.

What to expect

The lectures are conducted in management conference seminar rooms within the University campus, and you will have been provided with a timetable of talks and lecture notes before you arrive. Attendees can arrive any time after 3pm on Friday afternoon, with dinner served at 6pm. The weekend finishes at 3.30pm on the Sunday.

You can choose how you spend your time. If you book the residential package then you will have a very comfortable ensuite room in management conference facilities complete with bedding, towels, a hairdryer, coffee-making facilities and desk. Wifi is also included. The training centre has a small exercise room within the building and you also have complimentary access to the  gym and pool on campus, so if you do want to relax then there is the option to do so.

The cost is inclusive of all meals, including Friday night and Saturday night dinner. There are no extra costs involved (except for drinks at the bar!). As well as your room and all meals this includes refreshments at break times, extensive handouts which are only available to attendees and welcome drink on Friday night. Non-residential places are available for a reduction, and the same breakfast, lunch, dinner and all tea/coffee/snack breaks during the day are still included.

The welcome drinks and psychology book stall are both excellent places to meet other students. All students and staff wear name badges, so it is easy to find somebody to help if you have any questions. You can enjoy your meals with a group of students in the comfortable dining room. The food is fresh, healthy buffet style catering, and there is something to entice everyone.

Finally, whilst most students leave exhausted from the learning and socialising, they comment that it is such a worthwhile weekend, and we see many of them each year as they progress their studies!

Venue

The weekend takes place at Radcliffe Conference and Training Centre, University of Warwick. Both accommodation and lectures are located in the same building unless you have been informed otherwise.

Warwick is an award winning conference venue with excellent facilities. Access to the sports facilities, including the swimming pool, are included in the price. The university's central location with excellent transport links makes it easily accessible from all over the UK and Europe. There is ample free car parking.

Accessibility

Click here for information on accessibility, parking and other related facilities.

Travel and directions

Click here for satnav postcodes and directions to the University of Warwick.

For campus maps go to Warwick Campus Maps.This workshop will cover both quantitative and qualitative methods and will be of particular value to DE200 students, supporting the key statistics and qualitative methods for this module, but it will also be relevant to any student who wishes to improve their understanding of research methods and confidence in carrying out statistical testing. For those studying at level 3 it will provide a useful reminder and revision of statistics, filling in some of the gaps in your existing understanding, and will be particularly helpful to those who feel they are struggling with statistics.