One Day University Welcomes Andrew Shatte and His Seminar on Raising a Resilient Child

Dr. Andrew Shatté is a founder and President of Mindflex, LLC, a consulting and training organization that specializes in Resilience. He is also a Research Professor in the College of Medicine at The University of Arizona and has devoted the last 24 years to developing programs to boost resilience in children.  On Feb. 28, he will be teaching a seminar at One Day University called, How to Raise A Resilient Child: The single resource they'll need to thrive as adults.

Here we talk to him about why resilience is such an important trait and how parents can help bring it out in their children:

What does it mean to be a resilient child?

The best way to think of resilience is the 7 ingredients our research has uncovered. A resilient child can keep control of his emotions under stress, can control his behavioral impulses to achieve a goal, does good problem solving, believes in himself, is realistically optimistic, has empathy, and a sense of adventure and opportunity. If we boost these 7 factors, we have a resilient child for life.

Are there certain factors that can hinder this trait?

The single biggest determinant of our resilience is how we think.  From the moment we are cognizant, we're developing habits and styles in how we think that can block our resilience. For example, how we explain events is a product of our thinking styles, and can interfere with good problem solving and, ultimately, the child's success.

What can parents do to help raise a resilient child?

In the workshop I will show parents how to listen for these thinking styles in their children, recognize the problematic ones, and how to teach their kids to navigate around them. Getting a handle on our child's thinking is the key to their resilience.