Trauma and the Science of Resilience with Jonathan DePierro 

Air Dates: Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2023  

Everyone faces challenges in life, but when those challenges are born of trauma, the challenge to persevere becomes more daunting. Dr. Jonathan DePierro discusses the science of resilience and how we can all thrive in the wake of adversity.   

DePierro is the Associate Director of the Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth which provides comprehensive programming to support the resilience and mental health of Mount Sinai faculty, staff, and trainees. His clinical expertise is in the treatment of trauma-related mental health conditions, and the development and delivery of flexible resilience-building interventions. DePierro also teaches Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  His new book “Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges” includes three experts in trauma and resilience to answer what helps people adapt to life’s most challenging situations.  

On this episode of “Story in the Public Square,” DePierro says, “somewhere between 65 and 95% of adults will experience at least one life-threatening event over the course of their lives.” He explains the many definitions of resilience and how to practice it. He also discusses mental health and trauma, specifically regarding post-traumatic stress disorder.  

“Story in the Public Square” broadcasts each week on public television stations across the United States. A full listing of the national television distribution is available at this link. In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and is rebroadcast Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. An audio version of the program airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 4:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124. “Story in the Public Square” is a project of the Pell Center at Salve Regina University. The initiative aims to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.