Penn Resiliency Program

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · Jane Gillham, Karen Reivich, Lisa Jaycox · United States

What it is

PRP is a manualised, school-based group programme that teaches cognitive-behavioural and social problem-solving skills. It was originally called the Penn Optimism Program. It is a prevention programme, not a treatment: it is delivered to whole classes (universal) or to children at raised risk…

Format

• Format. The standard US format is 12 lessons of 90 minutes, or 18 to 24 lessons of 60 minutes; shorter versions have been used. In the original trials it was delivered after school in small groups. UKRP runs 18 hours in Year 7 workshops: the preferred model is weekly sessions with groups of no more…
• Goals: train the leaders, set up the group and safeguarding, and secure school backing.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Training: multi-day training from the Penn team covers cognitive theories of childhood depression and the intervention strategies, with observed practice, feedback and coaching. Practitioners on the UK primary version complete 35 hours of training.
• Version followed: the US Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) for late-elementary and middle-school students as described by the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center: 12 group lessons of 90 minutes, or 18 to 24 lessons of 60 minutes, for ages about 9 to 14. Where it matters, the UK Resilience Programme (UKRP, 18 hours, Year 7) and the UK primary version (18 one-hour sessions) are named as variants. The…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Goals: the belief–feeling link (ABC), recognising thinking styles, evaluating evidence (cognitive restructuring), generating alternatives, putting it in perspective (decatastrophising), and fast real-time challenging ("Hot Seat").

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• low completion; see section 5. It is working when students bring real examples without prompting.
• low parent attendance. Confirm with the Penn team or the licensed provider before running a parent component.
• procrastination that masks learning difficulties or low mood. Liaise with school staff. It is working when students complete first steps.
• students worried about losing the group, and children whose symptoms have risen during the programme. Refer those children for assessment.
• distraction being used to avoid solvable problems or to cover risk. It is working when students choose strategies that match the type of problem.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.