Resiliency Training For Big Law Associates

This resiliency training program is designed to help associates enhance their mental well-being and empathy through learning new skills and incorporating them into their professional and personal lives. The modules in this interactive course incorporate the science of positive psychology and are designed to create and refine associates' learned optimism, value-based goal setting, reframing, thought-balancing, empathy, emotional intelligence, and physical well-being. It was developed by the Gibson Dunn Wellness team with materials adapted from the University of Pennsylvania & United States Air Force "Master Resiliency Course." Through this program, BigLaw associates are offered specific theories, action items, and exercises that will help them improve work-life synergy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Introduce the mental health continuum and discuss how this model can help improve self-awareness for Big Law associates

2. Identify core values and character strengths and apply these to career goals to improve intrinsic motivation for attorneys

3. Discuss the importance of learned optimism and predict how a gratitude practice can help improve the resiliency of a Big Law associate

4. Introduce the concept of reframe and balanced thinking as tools to tackle well-being distresses such as burnout and imposter syndrome

5. Prepare associates for leadership positions with empathetic communication skills training by identifying active listening practices