This document discusses the concept of resilience and factors that build resilience. It defines resilience as the ability to positively adapt to challenges and stresses. Key factors that build resilience include having positive relationships, clear boundaries, opportunities for participation, life skills training, high expectations, and care/support. The document also discusses protective factors like social support, self-responsibility, acceptance, self-worth, and success experiences. Developing resilience involves caring for relationships, overcoming crises, accepting changes, setting goals, acting with courage, learning from experiences, having trust/confidence, keeping a broad perspective, maintaining hope, and focusing on what provides well-being.

1. Neuroplasticity - flexible brain
Basis of resilience

4. Resilience is the ability to positively adapt, grow,
and thrive no matter what rides into your life

6. Stress resistance
• Insenstitive – to glance off
• «protection layer», «thick skin, flesh», strength
• «You’ve got a teflon heart, and nothing sticks to you,
You’ve got a teflon heart. I think I want one too»*
• Growing (only) on challenges
• «what does not kill me, makes me stronger» (Nietzsche)
• «Weed does not spoil»
• «Only the strong survive»

8. stroke 519-796 (+53%)
Multiple Sclerosis 493-652 (+32%)
Neurorehabilitation Valens (2010 - 15)
[N=2452 – 3128 (+30%); in-patient 1572; ou-patient 1556]
haemorrhageischemia
Trauma+ others
197-449 (+128%)
Tumor 59-89 (+50%)
Parkinson 120-188 (+57%)
Epilepsy 83-118 +42%
Peripheral 114-213 +86%

9. Resilience research
• Stress & trauma research:
– studies in war affected populations, armed conflicts & other
situations of violence (ICRC): Palestine, IL/OT, Uganda, Zaire…
– Holocaust survivors
– Retrospective studies in elder people who were children during
WWII
– Migration camps
– Resilience development after natural catastrophies
• Longterm studies in developmental psychology
– Emmy Werner: observation of 700 people born in Hawaii in 1955
from early childhood over >40 years: The Kauai longitudinal study
– Research questions: how can people stemming from difficult
circumstances (poverty,, deprivation, violence…) evelop good
resistance & resilience

10. Emotions - Motivation
Search reward
• love
• empathy
• joy
• care
Avoid punishment
• anxiety
• anger
• grief
• hatred

11. Reward system
Do things...
– To get reward (satisfaction)
– To avoid punishment (pain)
– „Alles, was getan und erdacht
wird, gilt der Befriedigung
gefühlter Bedürfnisse, sowie
der Stillung von Schmerzen...
Fühlen und Sehnen sind der
Motor allen Strebens und
Erzeugens“
Albert Einstein, Mein Weltbild
Depression as a
„Reward-deficiency
syndrome“?

13. Flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow-channel
Anxiety
boredom
capabilities
challenges
low high
high
• Feeling of
fulfillment in
activity
• Feeling,
wanting,
thinking,
doing
correspond
• Neither time
nor we
ourselves play
a rôle
• effortless

14. Positive
Relationships
& Bonding
Set Clear,
Consistent
Boundaries
Opportunities
For Meaningful
Participation
Teach
Life-Skills
Set and
Communicate
High
Expectations
Provide
Care
And
Support
Factors
that build
resilience

15. The 7 C’S
Kenneth Ginsburg
• Competence
• Confidence
• Connection
• Character
• Contribution
• Coping
• Control

16. Protective factors
• Social relations & support
• Sel-responsibility & impulse control
• Aceptance, trust (confidence)
• Self-value
• Recovery, sound sleep
• Success exeperience (evaluation)

17. RESILIENCE BUILDING
• Care for relationship
• Crises can be overcome
• Changes are part of life
• Setting goals
• Act courageously
• What can I learn?
• Trust & confidence
• Keep perspectives
• Don’t give up hope
• Feeling what does goodt

19. 1. Understanding our ABCDE’s
1. Adversity, Belief, Consequences Disputation, Energization
2. Avoiding Traps in Thinking
3. Detecting Icebergs
4. Dissecting and Challenging Thinking
5. Taking Perspective
6. Calming & focusing
7. Getting Real

20.  Jumping to conclusions
 Tunnel vision
 Magnifying & minimizing
 Catastrophizing
 Personalizing
 Externalizing
 Overgeneralizing

21.  Different than surface beliefs
 Fundamental
 Deep-rooted
 Define “who you are”
 Define “your place in the world”

22. ICRC mandate
(Geneva conventions)

23. The ICRC around the world
Present in 315 sites worldwide
Activities in more than 80 countries
More than 15,000 employees

24. The Movement: Composition
International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent
Societies IFRCS
National
Societies
International Committee of the
Red Cross ICRC

25. Mandate
Mandate: the ICRC is a
neutral, impartial,
and independent
organization whose
exclusively
humanitarian mission
is to protect the lives
and dignity of victims
of war and internal
violence and to
provide them with
assistance

26. The ICRC: mandated by the States
community
Protects and assists war victims
Promotes international humanitarian law (IHL)
and its implementation
Reunites families separated by armed conflicts
Officially recognizes National Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies

27. The ICRC: Mission
The ICRC’s mission is to protect and assist
the civilian and military victims of armed
conflicts and internal disturbances on a strictly
neutral and impartial basis and to promote
compliance with international humanitarian
law

28. Humanity
Independence
International Humanitarian Law IHL/DIH
Daniel Thürer: Dunant’s
pyramid: thoughts on
the «humanitarian
space» Int Rev Red
Cross 2007; 89: 47-61

29. History
 Henri Dunant - Solferino 1859
 Foundation february 1863
 First Geneva Convention 1864

31. Dr. Marcel Junod, new head of the ICRC's delegation in Japan, arrived in Tokyo
on 9 August 1945 – the very day that the United States dropped a second
atomic bomb on Nagasaki
“For the first time I heard the name of Hiroshima, the words "atom bomb". Some said that there
were possibly 100,000 dead; others retorted 50,000. The bomb was said to have been dropped by
parachute, the victims had been burnt to death by rays, etc…”
Emperor Hirohito's surrender on 15 August
On 8 September with members of an
American technical commission:
“At twelve o'clock, we flew over Hiroshima.
We… witnessed a site totally unlike
anything we had ever seen before. The
centre of the city was a sort of white patch,
flattened and smooth like the palm of a
hand. Nothing remained. The slightest trace
of houses seemed to have disappeared.
The white patch was about two kilometres in
diameter. Around its edge was a red belt,
marking the area where houses had burned,
extending quite a long way further, difficult
to judge from the airplane, covering almost
all the rest of the city. It was an awesome
sight…

33. The Good Samaritan (Lukas 10, 25-37)

34. 35
World Humanitarian Day 19 August 2016
• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the closing ceremony of the
World Humanitarian Summit, in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23-24 May 2016.
•
"World Humanitarian Day is an annual reminder of the need to act to
alleviate the suffering. It is also an occasion to honour the humanitarian
workers and volunteers toiling on the frontlines of crises. I pay tribute to
these dedicated women and men who brave danger to help others at far
greater risk.«
• 2016 Theme: One Humanity

35. 36
Key data
• World Humanitarian Day
• 17 million volunteers. Half a million aid
workers. 190 countries
• 70% of NS are implementing DRR
• Easy to get figures on the direct impact of
disasters
• Not easy to get figures on the impact of
mitigation
• Indirect impact of disasters poorly
documented

36. 37
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
socio-psychological dimension
“reducing disaster risks (losses) through
systematic efforts to analyse and manage
the causal factors of disasters,
including through reduced exposure to
hazards,
lessened vulnerability of people and
property,
correct management of land and the
environment,
and improved preparedness for adverse
events”. (UN definition)

37. 38
Framework for Resilience
• DRR: the idea that the impact of disasters can
be reduced by steps taken in advance,
increasingly followed by early action.
• National Societies develop a programm
 NS have their National Disaster Response
teams
 Support Branches to promote DRR among
communities
 Communities and household have their DRR
plan and activities
• work is being done regionally to coordinate
and share experiences, so that team
members can learn from each other’s
experiences

38. 39
Psychosocial DRR
Two complementary perspectives :
• Psychosocial methodology
to mobilize people and communities around
DRR approach
• Psychosocial content
to address stress, grief and special needs
arising in disaster times and after

39. 40
Red Cross asset
The greatest strength of Red Cross (Movement) in DRR:
• background in community-based programmes
• implemented by branches and volunteers
• rooted in their communities.
rapid progress of DRR initiatives in South East Asia and
the Americas bolstered by longstanding community-
based programming

40. 41
A Resilient Community
• is knowledgeable, healthy and can meet its basic needs
• is socially cohesive
• has economic opportunities
• has well-maintened and accessible infrastructures and
services
• can manage its natural assets
• is connected (mediawise; can access and share information)

41. 42
Community participation/mobilization
• Is the first step from passive victim to
active participant
• Mitigates the emotional impact by action
and gives hope
• Encourages sustainability for the future

42. 43
Community mobilization
• Early mobilization of Community
 Ensures involvement
 Avoid ownership of programm and outcome
issues by third parties
 Favours comprehensive approach
 Keeps its concrete and legible for all
 Works reassuring anticipatively and during
recovery

43. 44
Psychosocial approach
• Community mobilization
 Weaves a flexible and rich social fabric
 Among diversity
(gender/generations/skills/…. )
 Foster individual recognition/identification
useful in disaster time
 Eases redundancy (promotes integrated co-
operation)
 Increases quality of risk assessment
 Alleviates burden/resources on specialized
team

44. 45
Empower community and members
To :
• Involve expertise from RC or external
• identify and set own priorities
• define the community’s role and responsibility
in designing and implementing self-help
strategies
• assess the difficulties based on community
knowledge and values
• initiate a dialogue and share information
leading to solutions
The power of a collaborative effort !

45. 46
Assessment
It is vital to make an assessment, taking
account
of risk factors and the social, economic
and religious resources which are available
and accessible to people.
Includes factors of social and psychological
nature that can impact recovery/resilience
positively

46. 47
Framework for Community resilience
1. Assisting communities as they adopt risk-
informed, holistic approaches to address
their underlying vulnerabilities.
2. Community resilience is about a demand
driven, people-centred approach.
3. RC being connected to communities by
being available to everyone, everywhere
to prevent and reduce human suffering.

47. 48
Psychosocial resilience programm
• Mobilizes the community and its members from
the onset
• Addresses the risks, needs and opportunties in
an holistic approach
 Natural, economic, technological and psycho-
social angles
• Anticipates events with input from external and
own sources
• Integrates within a regional /national framework
• Is a continuous effort
• Builds on all skills and vulnerabilities of its
member

48. 49
Psychosocial benefits
• From passive victims to active players
People with External locus of
control
Consider outcome relates to
chance
• Tend to question other factors
after failure
• Have poorer self-image
• Have low sense of self-
satisfaction
• Have less friends
• Lower social status
People with Internal locus of
control
Consider outcome relates to ability
• Tend to question themselves
after failure
• Have better self-image
• Have greater sense of self-
satisfaction
• Have more friends
• Higher social status

49. 50
Psychosocial benefits
• Protective effect
 of knowing the DRR plans ahead of disaster
 of being part of a vivid community where all
matter
 of having the the «practical » and
psychosocial aspects adressed
 of applying a methodology evolving with
experience
 of a culturally sensitive approach

50. 51
More info
• IFRC DRR pages & case studies :
http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/preparing-for-
disaster/risk-reduction/reducing-disaster-risk/
• IFRC Center for Psychosocial Support :
http://pscentre.org/
http://pscentre.org/library/
• UNISDR UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction
https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/19982
• Mental health and PS support Network
http://mhpss.net/about/

51. 52
What is our current approach?
1- Strategic risk management with the TOP RISK process
• Directorate actively identifies, evaluates and monitors Top Risks
• Departments define Top Risks, assess them and develop risk responses
• Departments and Directorate dynamically escalate and de-escalate
risks in/from the list of Top Risks
2- Connection between risk management practices
• ICRC obtains a broad overview of risks and existing risk management
practices at different levels, permitting the monitoring and analysis of
trends
• Risk management practices are structured and harmonized across the
ICRC with strengthened risk management skills
The ICRC approach is not “one size fits all”
but is based on development of awareness, skills and practices

52. 53
Confirmation of the principles
Develop and improve risk management practices
step by step and pragmatically
Maintain an overview
Pursue a step-by-step approach
Focus on top risks
Leverage existing risk management
resources
Manage risk dynamically
1
2
3
4
5
Overview of the ICRC's risk management
mechanisms, potential gaps, weaknesses or
redundancies
Incremental approach to enhancing the ICRC’s
risk management capabilities (no
comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management
system)
Manage effectively and efficiently a smaller
number of key risks that are critical
(*) ICRC risk management umbrella, Approach and action plan – DIR1631, Annex 1 rev, March 2016
Build on the Institution's existing risk
management resources
Make sure that relevant risk information is
integrated into the decision-making process in a
timely fashion

53. 54
Top Risk Criteria
A risk should meet one criterion in each of the following two
categories to be qualified as a Top Risk:
1. Risk Identification:
•the risk is deemed credible and of a large magnitude; or
•the risk has been ambiguously defined so that its likelihood and potential
impact remain unclear.
2. Risk Mitigation:
•existing measures are insufficient; or
•existing measures are ineffective; or
•existing measures require a high level of coordination; or
•the target level set for the risk has not been reached.
A Top Risk is an event that is likely to happen
and has a severe potential impact on the institution
with no more than basic mitigation measures in place

54. 55
Top Risk Process (example on «Managing organizational change»)
Risk event:
Risk asessment
Rating of the level of mitigation: basic
Position
in the Directorate Top Risk Dashboard:
Target: decrease likelihood
Top Risk Management entails
risk assessment and risk treatment

55. 56
Top Risk process: Directorate dashboard (last QR, 08.2016)
The most critical top risks are those
with high risk level
and poor or basic mitigation measures
Risk level
0 8 16
0
8
16
Mitigationlevel 4. Envisage
de- escalation
2. Monitor
continuously
3. Periodically
review
1. Actively
manage
Risk level
0 8 16
0
8
16
Mitigationlevel
6
1
Envisage
de-escalation
Monitor
continuously
Periodically
review
Actively
manage9
8
Risk level (likelihood x impact)
Mitigationlevel
5 47
15
10
2
1
8
13 14
16
1 Duty of care
2 Financial deficit
4 Managing organizational change
5 Project portfolio
6 People Management Programme
7 Staff behaviour
8 Staff engagement motivation
9 Corporate transparency
10 HR restructuring
13 Negative impact on Movement relations
caused by private fundraising ambitions
14 Disclosure of privileged information in
the Context of Legal Proceedings (new)
15 Business continuity/corporate services
16 Inadequate staffing

56. 57
Our most critical risks
• High level, recently assessed
# 16 Inadequate staffing
#10 HR restructuring
#1 Duty of care
• Less high but poorly mitigated
#8 Staff engagement
#15 Corporate services – Business continuity
• Critical, but to be reassessed
#4 Managing organizational change
#5 Project portfolio
! Task force / crisis management
!
The Directorate should focus on the
square “Actively manage”

57. 58
Vision
Directorate
Strategic monitoring
“Business owner”
PfR
Project Manager
Project Plan
Strategic
orientations
Business and
operational
objectives
Project
objectives
Top
Risks
Business &
operational
Risks
Project
Risks
Governance
Inst. strategy
Risks ultimately should be addressed
at the right level of responsibility
escalationde-escalation
RISKS
Devolution of
responsibility

58. 59
About risk culture
Risk acceptance
is the amount of risk, on a broad level,
an organization is willing to accept.
Risk tolerance
represents the application
of risk appetite to specific objectives.
Risk tolerance communicates a degree of flexibility,
while risk acceptance sets a limit beyond which additional risk should not be taken.
Intensity of risks taken
Results
of the risks
taken
Where do we
want to go?
Where are we?
What is our limitation
in taking risks ?
Risk culture is specific to each organization

59. 60
Security management (from CA 03.07.2014)
ICRC’s Security Management fundamentals remain valid
Doctrine 16 : Field Security Concept
•Decentralized with accountability to Head of Delegation and responsibility
within operational management
•Security/risk-management culture fully integrated
•Zero risk does not exist
Management of security risks
•Simple iterative methodology for risk management to be incorporated into the
Security Management Information Platform (SMIP)
•Ensure «low tech» communication means
•Focus on HR issues
•Links with information management, networking and social media
«Risk taking has to have its limits»
«A business must take risks»

60. 61
Our internal control environment
Towards a more structured and relevant control system,
beyond financial reporting, with priority on legal compliance
Lines of defense
are based on risks
inherent in the
ICRC’activities Work in progress

61. 62
Our environment in terms of risks
• More unpredictable
• Wider in terms of needs and response
• More complex, subject to combinations of risks
• More threatening…
 Increasing risk exposure but also more opportunities
( find the right balance)
Do we have the right and sustainable mechanisms
to cope with evolutions in our environment?
How to ensure that we do not have gaps?

62. 63
World of Finance(*)
Taking risks absorbs failure
Formalized / centralized risk
management
Individual accountability
towards risks
Risk management perceived as
accelerator & rationalization
It’s all about failure
No profit against reputation
Security risks treated by all means
People want to be rewarded for risks
ICRC (currently)
Taking risks enables action
Implicit / decentralized risk
management
Collective accountability
towards risks
Risk management perceived as
brake & bureaucracy
It’s all about uncertainty
Constant balance between access,
security and reputation
People want to be valued for risks
Risk culture: where do we want to be?
(*) refers to «Reflections on Risks» presentation by Hugo Bänziger, CA 05.03.2014

63. „Amuse-toi!“
(André Navarra)

64. „Quintesce of happiness: Not living FROM,
but rather FOR something“
The source of happiness lies within myself

65. Prof. Dr. med. Jürg Kesselring, FRCP
Head of the Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation
Rehabilitation Centre Valens CH-7317 Valens Switzerland
Tel +41 (0)81 303 14 08
www.kliniken-valens.ch
• Interest in resilience since birth (uplifting forces)
• applied learning since school age (uninterrupted since)
• practicing & rehearsing music (cello) since november 1960
• applying neuroplasticity to neurological patients in Valens (& elsewhere) since july 1987
• teaching Clinical Neuroscience at Centre of Neuroscience University Zürich since 1999
• Member of ICRC (since 1.1.11)
• First Honorary President of Swiss MS Society
Disclosure & declaration of interests

66. 67
Psychosocial approach
• Combines individual & collective
dimensions, mutually supportive
Individual skills, expertise, dedication serve the community
Community dynamic feeds back, support, protects the
individual
Individua
l
Commun
ity
Psycho-
Social

67. 68
Psychosocial DRR
• Pays special attention to community
mobilization and individual involvement
• Not restricted to the physical-economical
disaster
• Adresses also the psychosocial impacts
and needs
• Psychosocial needs interwoven with
others
• The community becomes a net and a
springboard altogether

68. 69
Psychosocial DRR
• Its network-like structure and working
mimics neural plasticity (and resilience)
 Defined roles can be taken care of by other
incumbents according to needs and capacity
 Communication channels can redevelop
along new lines
 Contrasts with a top-down approach geared
by experts only

69. 70
Psychosocial DRR (content-wise)
• Social and individual wellbeing aspects
considered :
 Stress and coping mechanism
 Providing assistance in stressful
environement
 Understanding loss and grief
 Community support to grieving individuals
 Psychosocial first-aid
 Supportive communication
 Prevention of violence and abuse
 Special needs groups
 Caring for responders

70. Sleep induces
neuroplasticty
• Neuroplasticity: changes of
structure and function on the
basis of genetic information on
triggers from environment in
order to allow and potentiate
interactions between the two
• Sleep
– Brain development
– Maintaining rarely used networks
(necessary isolation from
environment for dynamic
stabilization)
– Consolidation of memory traces
(REM-sleep deprivation and REM-
Ssleep increase through training)
– Cholinergic drive in REM-sleep