I had the opportunity to give a psychology speech on cultivating mental health daily at the Greater Essex County District School Board in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Audience Members
The audience was comprised of education support staff and front line workers, including Education Assistants, Child and Youth Care Workers, Developmental Services Workers, Teachers, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Principals.
Sample PPT Slides
Cultivating Mental Health Daily
Community Collaboration
Dr. Marc Crundwell, the chief psychologist with the school board, and I began working on this event two months before it took place. Which is why I am excited to share a video of the presentation with you today.
It’s been a long time in the making!
Click Here to Watch
Surprised and Delighted
The best part is that I found out moments before the speech that several students that I taught years earlier at St. Clair College would be in the audience.
Ripple Effect of Positivity!
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
Ryunosuke Satoro
Links to books, articles and research shared during speech —
- PERMA Theory, Research, and Origin Story
- Strengths Finder Books and Assessments
- Steering by Starlight by Author Martha Beck
- Embracing Change – Interview, Blog Post, and Article
- If Questions for the Soul by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell
- Dr. Andrea Dinardo: Thriving Under Pressure | TED Talk
- Thriving Under Pressure: Speaking and Training Services
- Flow Theory of Happiness and Positive Psychology
- Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions
- Drive Magazine Article: Cultivating Mental Health Daily
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY FOR STUDENTS:
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES Mental Health Speech Global Wellness Institute
Thriving Under Pressure 
It’s been a while since I read any of your blogs. I’ll check in more frequently as I appreciate the wisdom you always seem to share.
What a wonderful surprise to see you on my page! It’s been too long since we’ve connected on WordPress. Your feedback fuels my creativity!
Your ‘happy person’ is tangible and catching. Coupled with wisdom and profound knowledge makes you a package of dynamite. My wager is that your audience not only learned much but also left uplifted. Well done Dr. Andrea.
Thank you Peter! Your support and encouragement MOTIVATES ME. Full circle UPLIFT. Especially given all the time and energy that goes into my speeches. The parts that no one sees. Grateful for your words. Fuels me up for my next speech!
Everyone’s having some full circle moments, and this is an example! What we seek…well, you know the rest 😉
Happy to see this came to fruition for you!
Thank you Dr. G!! You get. This. YOU LIVE THIS. Similar to your Change Blog — we create the medicine that we wished we had received. Together “we seek”. Dr. D xo
Thankyou Andrea for helping change how mental health can be compassionately helped❤️ such wisdom🥰 sending you much love💃🏼
I feel it Barbara! Thank you. Hope you feel it too. It is truly the foundation of all my work. LOVE
Thank you for sharing the links and resources from your speech. My summer reading for sure. Plus I can’t believe how much ground you covered in an hour, Loved it, Particularly the research you talked about by Dr. Frederickson on emotion manipulation and holistic pattern recognition. Explains why the world is diametrically opposed on so many issues these days. And the origin story for flow psychology was fascinating. Deep processing vs superficial processing of engagement and how it all relates to social media and apathy in youth. You broke the concepts down in a really cool way, This would make a great online program or master class . Hav e you ever considered that?
Great Q Jorge! I am currently working with an organization called We-Tech to bring mental resiliency, personal growth, and wellness into business and entrepreneurship in Ontario. It will be a combination of online and in person resources funded by several grants. And part of my agreement to work with them is the opportunity to pay the ‘psychology resources’ forward with the public at large. Stay tuned!
Love your charts and this great post Andrea.
Great video!
💖💖
Thank you Cindy! For watching the video and for the kind words. It was a full circle moment for me as I used to work as a psychologist in the school system. And now I have the opportunity to support teachers and education support staff once again — in my favourite arena — speeches and training. “Teach a person to fish.. and they will have fish” / mental health for a lifetime. In this together Cindy. It’s the only way to collectively rise and THRIVE!
Loved that some of your former students were at your presentation … And looking at the behind the scenes video, shows just how much preparation and work goes on …
Thank you for sharing Andrea… You enlighten and inspire many my friend. 🙂 Thank you…. And love the Apple a Day! 🙂
You’re the BEST! Thank you Sue. After practicing as a psychologist for 18 years and then transitioning full-time in to teaching (and retiring my psychologist practice) one thing I know for sure — it’s what we do DAILY for our health (which includes mental health) that matters most. An. Apple. A. Day. Is as bite-sized as you get. Including smiling as I type this reply. Thank YOU for the uplift!
You are very welcome and thank YOU. 😊
Brava, Andrea!
Thank you Eliza!
I began practicing as a school psychologist in 1998 — so this collaboration was a long time in the making. And then I retired my psychologist practice in 2016 to focus on full time speaking, writing, and speaking.
Please share the video of the psychology speech with someone who needs an uplift.
Psychology for Everyone — Everywhere is my ultimate goal. Especially people that don’t have access to a psychology class or therapist’s office.
Have a wonderful start to the summer!
Your kind words made mine.
Andrea ☀️
Caring for our own mental health is such a huge necessity–but so many poor views are seen of it. You’re so right that too often we’re approached with what’s wrong with us and not what deeply motivates and encourages us. Focusing on our strengths–which I see as God’s investment in us, how He chooses to see us–helps us learn to thrive. Which has been your jam for quite some time. Thanks for this, Andrea. For persisting in helping people see hope.
Like most creative things in life, I came to positive psychology and thriving under pressure through necessity.
First, as a way to cope with compassion fatigue as a young psychologist in the late 1990’s and then as a professor to support my nursing students with burnout and vicarious trauma.
A key topic in both health psychology research and lectures (one of my favourite topics to teach).
I share my early years / origin story during this speech at the Women’s with Drive Event:
The interesting thing / divine plan is how my early work and TEDx Talk / Blog (both called Thriving Under Pressure) became even more in demand globally as a result of the pandemic.
Thank you for taking the time to share and encourage Dayle. Your words HELP ME THRIVE and continue creating ..
FULL CIRCLE blogging community. ♥️ 🌎 💻
Kudos Andrea on being able to share your wisdom with the community of people who serve at your school and community. May they be used to help inspire and empower many people.
Brad! Thank you so much. I am truly blessed to live my passion of helping others as a professor and speaker. More often than not — I question my why for ‘writing and speaking’ as it is an add on to my full-time position as a professor. But if I can encourage one person each day to reach for their dreams, to not give up, than all the weekends and nights I give up to create new material and fresh ideas for the next generation of students makes it all worthwhile. Thank you for being the light that I needed today. Always grateful and honoured to see you on my psychology page! 🙏 ☀️ Andrea
I admire that you found your passion and purpose. And it’s a mutual pleasure Andrea. 🙏 ☀️