Speaking of Psychology How to build kids’ resilience, with Mary Alvord, PhD
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Feb 18, 2026 Mary Alvord, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and creator of the Resilience Builder Program, discusses helping children bounce back. She highlights foundational skills like emotion regulation, problem solving, and an action mindset. Practical parent tools, classroom scaling of the program, and signs of low resilience are explored in short, actionable segments.
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Broadened Definition Of Resilience
- Resilience includes adapting to daily stresses as well as major adversities.
- Mary Alvord expands resilience beyond trauma to everyday challenges like ADHD and family problems.
Build Agency With Small Actions
- Help children feel agency by focusing on what they can control and small actions they can take.
- Encourage an action mindset so kids take initiative instead of feeling helpless.
Teach Simple Self-Regulation
- Teach and model self-regulation skills like deep belly breathing and muscle relaxation.
- Use simple, repeatable practices (five-finger breathing, tense-and-release) to help children calm down.
