Resiliency Center: Building a mental resilience

SALT LAKE CITY— May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Resiliency Center at the University of Utah has been a real difference-maker in the Beehive State.

What is the Resiliency Center? And how is it helping people in the state?

Dr. Megan Call, director of the Resiliency Center, joined Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson on Wednesday to provide some insight into the center and the help it is providing.

Matheson begins the conversation by asking, “So, tell us about the Resiliency Center. What is the focus?”

Call starts off by giving a definition of resilience.

“Resilience is the ability to bounce back from a challenge,” she said. “Whether big or small.”

Call says the Resiliency Center is for 25,000 employees who work in education, research and clinical roles.

“We facilitate resilience and well being from an individual and system lens,” she said.

By that she means, you can have the most resilient individual, with excellent coping skills. However, if they are in a system where their workload is too much. If you put that person in an environment where they feel they can’t speak up, and don’t feel heard, seen or valued, Call says eventually that person will crumble.

She says the Resiliency Center has four programs – mindfulness, peer support, communication and a Wellness Champions program.

“So, people can learn the skills to make an impact on resilience in their team,” Call said.

Additionally, the center also offers mental health services for individuals and teams.

During difficult times, Call says it’s important for individuals to take care of themselves.

“If we learn to take care of ourselves during those difficult times,” she said. “That actually helps with that bouncing back process.”

Matheson adds, ” I think it’s important for our listeners to recognize when you feel those big emotions, that’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you’re weak (and) it doesn’t mean your broken. It just means your body and your emotions and your mind and your heart is telling you something is sideways.”

“Exactly,” Call said. “You know anger shows up right when we’re hurt, and it means it’s time to do something different. Sadness shows up when there’s been a loss. And so sadness actually slows us down because it’s time to think about how we’re going to move forward.”

Listen to the entire segment.

 

Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (1-801-583-2500).

Read more:

• Utah doctor talks about opening a conversation on men’s mental health
• Huntsman Mental Health: the Safe UT app isn’t just for kids

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