Work can be a considerable source of stress that could lead to burnout, reduced performance, turnover and ill-health symptoms – just to mention a few. The consequences of stress can lead to substantial costs to both individuals and organisations. Despite adversity, some people can withstand, or even thrive when experiencing difficult life events. Positive adaptation has been found to be the common process adopted by these individuals. 

Grounded in Positive Psychology, and utilising elements of Non-violent Communication and the Sailboat Metaphor (created by Dr Hugo Alberts), in this masterclass we provide a scientific approach to developing resilience.  

Individuals who want to: 

• understand how stress affects them
• learn about the benefits of building resilience
• understand vulnerability
• positively adapt to the demands of the situation at hand
• learn how to bounce back from adverse life events
• apply resilience practices that are backed up by science
• learn what motivates resilient people to effectively make it through times of adversity
• identify and apply the motivation behind the coping styles
• prepare for the unexpected 

Organisations who want to: 

• create a culture that supports the wellbeing of their employees by utilising science-based, lasting methods  
• build a collective capacity for organisational resilience, where employees adapt, bounce back, and succeed in the face of challenges 
• offer a resilience training programme essential to organisational adaptability in uncertain and dynamic business environments 
• enhance employees' stress-coping ability (personal resilience) and resilient workplace behaviours (employee resilience)  
• maintain a workplace climate that allows everyone to experience more meaning and feel more fulfilled at the end of each day
• help their leaders and employees to 

                    - level up by improving resilience which leads to confidence in handling challenging situations 

                    - initiate effective collaboration on work challenges and learning from mistakes

                    - improve concentration and productivity

                    - improved quality of sleep and ability to concentrate

                   - develop and use resilience to create optimal performance and work experience

                   - feel connected, more authentic, and motivated 

Two-day science-based Masterclass, divided into six sessions, covering theory, discussion, and offering practical tools. This masterclass includes: 

• Introduction - an in-depth understanding of the field of positive psychology providing a foundation for strength-based development. 
• Understanding Resilience - learn what resilience is, what characterizes resilient people, and introduce the four key elements (attention, thoughts, action, and motivation). 
• Attention – resilient people, what do they focus on? 
• Thoughts - practical tools for directing thoughts in a constructive way through concepts such as benefit finding, appraisal theory, and explanatory style. 
• Action – learn how to cope effectively with both negative and positive life events. 
• Motivation – learn how to create a valuable starting point for developing more adaptive coping styles. 

Camelia Petrus brings a wealth of tools, experience, and perspective to her work in Industrial Organisational Psychology, Leadership, Workplace Behaviour, Non-Violent Communication and Psychology of Wellbeing. 

Camelia’s interests are in employee wellbeing and engagement, leadership key competences and workplace behaviour. She provides employers with psychometric insights in the areas of Leadership Development, Workplace Behaviour, Recruitment, Sales and Customer Service, Client Relationship, Workplace Emotional Climate, and trains HR professionals in test interpretation.  

She is a member of NZ Positive Psychology Association, member of Change Management Institute NZ and partner with OPRA Psychology Group Wellington and the Regional Business Partners Network.

She leads work with individuals and organisations in NZ.