Penn LPS Launches “Resilience" Coursera Course

The College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) has launched the free Coursera course, “Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty," taught by Karen Reivich, Director of Resilience Training Services at the Positive Psychology Center. The class is available to the entire Penn community. Reivich is teaching the course from the Foundations of Positive Psychology specialization.

"Right now, with the uncertainty and all the challenges the pandemic is bringing, the skills in this course are particularly pertinent," says Reivich.

The course will incorporate resilience interventions for personal and professional life. Students will be exposed to protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored, including: cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill. Throughout the course, there will be examples provided of individuals utilizing these same skills.

"Many of the changes that we’re confronting are outside of our control, being dictated by what we all need to be doing to stay healthy," says Reivich. "It felt to me and the leadership at Penn and Coursera that it's a really important time for us all to reflect on our own resilience and continue to develop and practice these tools."

You can learn more about the course, and enroll, here.