Resilience and Coping Intervention (RCI): A Group Intervention to Foster College Student Resilience

ABSTRACT

Many colleges and universities report an increase in the prevalence of reported stress, anxiety, and depression among college students. The current article describes the Resilience and Coping Intervention (RCI), a group intervention designed to help college participants identify thoughts, feelings, and coping strategies related to a problematic experience or to an everyday stressors. To illustrate the RCI group process, vignettes from two RCI sessions with undergraduate college students are provided to demonstrate how the intervention enables group members to discuss their challenges, explore and validate their experiences, problem solve, and connect with peers. In addition, the vignettes provide descriptions of college students’ reported stressors and challenges, thoughts and feelings, and coping mechanisms. Given the increased prevalence of reported stress, anxiety, and depression among students, colleges need feasible and effective interventions such as RCI that reduce stress and help students to develop coping skills and strategies.

KEYWORDS:

• College
• coping
• group work
• resilience
• stress

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through the Disaster and Community Crisis Center (DCC; http://dcc.missouri.edu) at the University of Missouri, a partner in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).