Nurturing Relationships, Overcoming Adversity & Building Resilience in 2022

The Norwalk Partnership is pleased to present experts from the Community Resilience Campaign at Silver Hill Hospital for this workshop aimed at adults and high school students. 

Nurturing Relationships, Overcoming Adversity, and Building Resilience in 2022:

As we enter a new year, we have the opportunity to turn the page and enter a new chapter in our lives. One that is focused on remaining resilient in the face of adversity. Historically, this has meant calling on our own resources to battle through challenges alone, hiding our emotions, and not asking for help. What we know now about true resilience, is that community and connection to an inner circle is most important. In fact, building connections is necessary to manage the daily stressors life has in store for us. In this workshop, we will discuss all the above, as well as concrete strategies for developing close bonds, coping with stress, and building our resilience toolkit.

About Our Presenters:

Silver Hill Hospital established the Community Resilience Campaign (CRC) to keep healthcare workers, first responders, school staff, and other community groups mentally resilient in the face of overwhelming stress resulting from the pandemic. The CRC is directed by Brigadier General (Ret) Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D. Dr. Xenakis is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist with many years of clinical, academic, and management experience. During his career in the U.S. Army, Dr. Xenakis pioneered the introduction of telemedicine applications including the development of a device for electronic house call services. He founded the Center for Translational Medicine to develop treatments and to conduct tests on brain related conditions affecting soldiers and veterans. Dr. Xenakis has numerous medical publications and is an adjunct professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and is on the executive board of the Center for Ethics and Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Xenakis was commissioned during the Vietnam War and has trained soldiers how to prepare for the unknown and deal with the accompanying stress. The Federal Courts and the Office of Military Commissions have qualified Dr. Xenakis as a psychiatric and medical expert in numerous cases at Guantánamo Naval Base.

Matt DeBernardis is the Resilience Coach for the CRC. In conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Defense, Matt has trained U.S. Army soldiers and their families in resilience and psychological skill building in Fort Hood, Texas. While there, he was responsible for developing curriculum and executing high impact training for company-sized elements which led to enhanced performance outcomes and lower behavioral incidents. As a degree holder in psychology and sports psychology, Matt supports the campaign as a subject matter expert in resilience coaching and performance psychology.  Matt is a certified Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) instructor and has consulted with business leaders, professional athletes, and Division I student-athletes and coaches.

Silver Hill Hospital | 208 Valley Road | New Canaan, CT 06840 | silverhillhospital.org/communityresilience/