RIRO Resiliency Skills Training is an evidence-based, two-part program for service providers who work with children from birth to eight years. The training uses a relationship-based, cognitive-behavioural and social problem-solving approach to prevent depression and promote resilience in children under eight years. Adapted from 35 years of research by Dr. Martin Seligman and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, the RIRO program is designed to help adults help young children steer through life's inevitable bumps in the road and make use of opportunities for optimal growth and development. Research shows that children as young as two years begin to copy how adults in their lives respond to daily stresses, serious challenges, and opportunities for growth. When adults use the RIRO skill-set in their own lives, they become role models for children by demonstrating effective thinking and coping strategies in response to both adversity and opportunity.
Part 2 helps adults apply the resiliency skills directly with children by:
- increasing their understanding of children's thinking and behaviour
- supporting children's development of seven critical abilities associated with resilience
- introducing child-friendly approaches using children's literature, puppets and resilience-building activities.