We.R.Stars – (Wellbeing, Resilience, Strengthening, achieving, recovering, shinning)

March 25, 2023

We.R.Stars: A Psychoeducational Program for Developing Resilient Children

Mental health is an essential condition for achieving well-being, normal development and a successful life path for every child. Due to the constant challenges and increasing academic pressure experienced by children in modern times, mental resilience, as the ability of every individual to successfully manage difficulties and adversity, is considered one of the most important life skills. It is therefore considered more important than ever to equip children with the skills and tools necessary to cultivate and strengthen their mental resilience and promote their mental health.

We.R. Stars is a psycho-educational preventative program developed by Dr. Louisa Ioannidou, an educational psychologist and lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Social Sciences at Frederick University and Dr. Katerina Michael, a psychologist, psychotherapist, educator and visiting lecturer in the Department of Education at Frederick University, aiming to develop the psychological resilience and well-being of children in primary schools in Cyprus. The program is designed to enhance self-esteem, self-regulation, self-efficacy, social skills and positive parental involvement in a healthy school climate.

The program is approved by the Cyprus National Bioethics Committee and the Cyprus Educational Research Centre. We.R.Stars includes a series of 10 workshops for children and three psycho-educational workshops for parents/guardians and teachers. The programme takes a holistic/ecological approach, involving all the support systems to which children belong.

For the school year 2022-2023, five primary schools from the city of Limassol participated in the programme and results on its effectiveness are expected to be published soon.

With We.R.Stars, children are given the opportunity to acquire and cultivate necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their mental resilience and mental health, laying the foundation for a successful life path.

Publications Ioannidou., L & Michael., K. (2022). Mental Resilience in Schools. The Necessity of Developing Prevention and Intervention Programs. Mental Health and Human Resilience International Journal, 6 (2). DOI: 10.23880/mhrij-16000199

I can handle my anxiety and fears better after this program. I feel much more confident in handling stressful situations.

I learned to deal with my negative thoughts and remain calm in tension.

I was very anxious about each of our meetings. We had a lot of fun, and they helped me have a better relationship with my brother.

After this program, I learned to think before reacting and not be impulsive.

I consider myself lucky that my child could take part in this program and learn skills that I was only exposed to later in life. It would be great if the program could be extended to the next academic year.

I've noticed that my daughter is now handling her stress much better. She has developed the ability to encourage and calm herself independently.

This program is excellent in terms of content, organization, and implementation. My daughter, who isn't easily excited, is thrilled about it.

This program is designed to cater to the emotional needs of children. It is truly wonderful.