Apply Presentation International Positive Psychology Association 7th IPPA World Congress 2021

Developing positive emotion ambassadors in a violence prevention program in Chicago (#14)

Elizabeth L Addington 1 , Fleur Kirksey 2 , Tristion McDowell 2 , Soren Larsen-Ravenfeather 2 , Elaine O Cheung 1 , Judith T Moskowitz 1
  1. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
  2. READI Chicago, Chicago

Outreach staff working in high-hardship communities are at elevated risk of burnout and posttraumatic stress. Still, positive psychologists recognize the potential for concurrent positive experiences and emotions to protect wellbeing. A community-academic partnership between READI Chicago and Northwestern University’s Positive Psychology and Health Investigators Group (PPHIG) aims to leverage the PPHIG program of positive emotion regulation to improve coping among READI Chicago staff who are working to decrease gun violence in Chicago. An assessment of READI Chicago staff (n=92) found that, while 25% were burned out, many reported high levels of job satisfaction (M=3.99 on 1-5 scale) and values congruence in their work (M=4.09 on 1-5 scale). These findings highlight the potential for positive psychological training to reduce burnout and sustain job satisfaction and values congruence among READI Chicago staff members. Through a series of partnership meetings, experiential trainings, and focus groups, we developed the Positive Emotion Ambassadors program: a train-the-trainers model that teaches READI Chicago staff (n=16) about the science of positive psychology, provides applied training in a positive psychological intervention that has shown efficacy in randomized trials with people coping with health-related and other types of stress, and engages the Ambassadors as stakeholders in tailoring the skills for use at READI Chicago. Participants found the program acceptable and feasible and suggested modifications such as ways to present the skills as a buffer from stress and trauma and to integrate skills practice into existing work activities. In this Apply session, presenters from READI Chicago and PPHIG will describe our partnership development, the PPHIG program of positive emotion regulation skills, and how both the content and delivery format have been adapted for use with adults living and working in communities with high levels of exposure to racial injustice, gun violence, and other forms of trauma.

  • Keywords: Career and Work, Coping and Emotion Regulation, Diversity and Inclusion, Positive emotions
  • Select your presentation sub-category: Intensive program analysis and description