Resilience Training for the Army

Since 2009, the Penn Resilience Program has been widely used by the United States Army as part of their Master Resilience Training program for Soldiers, family members of Soldiers, and Department of the Army civilians. More than 55,000 U.S. Army Soldiers have attended this train-the-trainer program and gone on to teach the resilience skills to hundreds of thousands of Soldiers. This program is run by the Army Resilience Directorate. Following is information and press coverage:

 

OVERVIEW OF COMPREHENSIVE SOLDIER AND FAMILY FITNESS PROGRAM (CSF2):

Army Website for the Ready and Resilient Campaign

Video on Resilience Program for the U.S. Army

 

TESTIMONIALS FROM SOLDIERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PENN RESILIENCE PROGRAM

 

SCHOLARLY ARTICLES:

Harvard Business Review, Building Resilience, April 2011

American Psychologist Special Issue on Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, January 2011

Master Resilience Training in the U.S. Army, January 2011

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program Evaluation, December 2011

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program Evaluation, April 2013

 

PRESS ON PENN RESILIENCE TRAINING FOR THE U.S. ARMY:

Army website, Top 10 Myths about Army Resilience Training, February 2014

Army website, Study Concludes Master Resilience Training is Effective, 24 January 2012

New York Times, Post-Traumatic Stress's Surprisingly Positive Flip Side, 22 March 2012

NPR, Classes Teach Soldiers to be 'Army Strong', 8 January 2012

CNN, Making Soldiers Fit in Body and Mind, 28 Dec 2011

PBS NewsHour, Army Program Aims to Build Troops' Mental Resilience to Stress, 13 Dec 2011

Washington Post, Army Program Works to Make Soldiers Fit in Body and Mind, 4 July 2011

CNN, After Trauma, Teaching Hope, 19 August 2011

CNN, Steps to Help You Thrive in Hard Times, 24 August 2011

New York Times (front page), Mental Stress Training is Planned for U.S. Soldiers, 18 August 2009

The Daily Beast, The War in the Living Room, 9 January 2010

Men's Health, When the Warrior Returns Home, October 2010

U.S. Department of Defense website, Face of Defense: MP Builds Resilience in Soldiers, Families, 11 June 2010

Army website, Change in Army Culture Marked by 1,000th MRT Graduate, 14 May 2010

Army website, Resiliency Training in Iraq Keeps Soldiers Strong, 3 May 2010

Army website, Army Secretary: Fort Leavenworth Critical Part of Army’s Arsenal, 29 April 2010

Casey Tours USD-S Operations, 28 April 2010

Army website, SMA Testifies to Congress on Force Stress, Resilience, 16 April 2010

Army website, Secretary of Army Gives ‘Thumbs Up’ to Resilience Course, 14 April 2010

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Beyond Sucking it Up, 11 April 2010

Army website, Fort Wainwright Soldiers Finding Fitness for Body, Mind, Spirit, 25 March 2010

Army website, Army Master Resiliency Training Course Provides Valued Instruction, 29 March 2010

Army website, Resilience School to Open in April: Fort Jackson at Forefront of Army’s New Mental Fitness Program, 18 March 2010

Fort Hood Sentinel, Fort Hood Hosts Army’s New Master Resilience Training Course, 18 March 2010

Army website, A Different Perspective-CSF, 15 March 2010 

Fort Campbell Courier, MRTP: Resilient Soldiers, Resilient Army, 18 February 2010

U.S. Department of Defense, Soldiers, Families Top Army Priorities, Leaders Say, 23 February 2010

Army website, A New Course: Resilience School to Open on Fort Jackson, 14 January 2010

Army website, Army Trains Soldiers on How to be Mentally, Emotionally Tough, 3 January 2010

NPR, Army to Train Soldiers in Emotional Resiliency, 10 September 2010

Fox News, Army Seeks to Mentally Toughen Up Combat Troops with Resiliency Course, 18 August 2010 (No longer available online)

Army website, Chief of Staff Visits First-ever Master Resiliency Course, August 2009

Army website, Army Developing Master Resiliency Training, 5 August 2009