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Outreach Campaign on Resilience in Development

The American Psychological Association has developed a new relationship with Discovery Health to produce a documentary on steps to resilience. The hour-long program is scheduled to air September 11, 2002, the one-year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and will highlight individuals’ stories about bouncing back from trauma resulting from September 11, as well as other traumatic events people often face.

A public education outreach effort with some similar elements to the Warning Signs program will be developed so that PEC coordinators can engage in community outreach.

“We are very excited about this new partnership with Discovery Health,” says Jan Peterson, assistant executive director for public relations and communications. “We are anxious to talk with our PEC coordinators about how to make this program as useful and as successful, if not more successful, than the Warning Signs project.”

More details about the relationship with Discovery Health, a national cable network that is part of the Discovery Networks, will be discussed at the State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 3 from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

PEC coordinators are asked to think about ideas for community outreach on the topic of becoming resilient. The APA will be developing a tool kit for community outreach, as well as a brochure for the public.

In particular, PEC coordinators' suggestions are encouraged regarding useful web and print resources to include in a potential "recommended reading and resources" list for both consumers and psychologists.

The meeting with PEC coordinators will also provide a forum to discuss thoughts and views on how to use the documentary in grassroots outreach and what topics can be covered in a brochure about resilience.

The concept for the public outreach focus on resilience came as a result of focus group discussions held during the fall of 2001 with the public concerning the impact the terrorist attacks had on participants’ personal lives.

Held in Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Owings Mill, Maryland, the focus groups revealed a strong public interest in learning about what makes a person resilient and how one can become resilient. The documentary and outreach program are expected to deliver a positive and constructive message to audiences about healing and adjustment.

PUBLIC EDUCATION OUTREACH EFFORTS GOING STRONG

More than 1,400 Warning Signs Forums Held Across the Country The year 2001 proved once again the valuable resource the APA has created through its solid grassroots network of public education campaign coordinators. This group of highly motivated psychologist volunteers moved swiftly into action following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and helped to ensure that materials created by the APA following the tragic events were broadly disseminated. These activities were in addition to regularly held outreach efforts that make the PEC campaign a success.

As part of its year-end annual review of public education campaign activities, APA learned that many members used the trauma materials developed following 9/11 for meetings and outreach with parent groups, church congregations and other audiences in the weeks following the attacks.

At the same time, campaign coordinators reported that other public outreach activities, including the Warning Signs program, are still going strong.

Since the Warning Signs program was first launched in May 1999 through the end of 2001:

• 1,401 Warning Signs forums for both youth and adults have been held
• More than 1.25 million Warning Signs brochures have been distributed
• Nearly 350,000 Communication Tips for Parents have been distributed since this resource became available in 2000
• More than 9,000 planning kits have been distributed for psychologists to conduct youth forums, parent forums, as well as outreach to Spanish speaking populations

In 2001, the APA's consumer Web site, helping.apa.org, was one of four health-related sites that made the Yahoo Internet Life magazine's annual roundup of the "50 Most Incredibly Useful Sites."

In addition, the Warning Signs for Parents program took off in 2001 with a total of 57 parent forums held in communities throughout the country during the year. The program has been well received, inspiring some practitioners to consider future forums for all the school's parents at back to school nights.

Order Outreach Materials

Place your order early to receive materials for public education outreach from the Campaign Services Bureau and help us save on postage costs.

Materials that can be ordered by APA member psychologists include:

• Warning Signs outreach kits to conduct forums for youth and parents
• Warning Signs videos (available subtitled in Spanish or for the hearing impaired)
• Warning Signs guides in both English and Spanish
• Communication Tips for Parents
• DotComSense, Talk to Someone Who Can Help and Change Your Mind About Mental Health brochures

If you need materials for your local outreach, email your request to PEC. Please be sure to include your return email and telephone number so we can confirm receipt of your email. Of course, you can also still contact us directly, toll-free at 877.274.8787, ext. 135.