Announcement: Free Lecture: When Good Things Happen in Dark Times (How Happiness Leads to Resilience)

Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 7:00PM in Alumni Hall

All are invited to join us for a conversation on the importance of leveraging positivity in order to healthfully manage the upheavals of daily stressors, sudden challenges, and loss and heartbreak. We'll explore principles and practices of positive psychology that increase resilience and build both internal capacity and a sense of ease.

Speaker Maria Sirois is a master teacher, facilitator and author. As a positive psychologist (Psy.D.) and consultant, she focuses on the resilience of the human spirit particularly when under chronic stress, during significant transitions or changes, and/or feeling the shock of wholesale change.

Her work in the medical, legal, human service, financial, technology and educational sectors focuses on building capacity and engagement around chronic stressors such as conflicting goals, difficult conversations, unrealistic expectations and moments of failure — using such moments to leverage sustained positive shifts in perspective and ability.

With world thought-leader, Tal Ben-Shahar, she co-leads a year-long certificate program for executives, educators, entrepreneurs, counselors and the general public. She has a consulting relationship with the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College, develops curriculum for Wholebeing Institute, and is the author of two books: A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (And Other Dark, Difficult Times) and Every Day Counts.

This lecture is sponsored by the Gustavus Wellbeing Initiative, the Dean of Students Office, the Theater and Dance Department and the Gustavus Lyceum Lecture Series.