University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) developed a unique and innovative community-facing program to improve their response to adversity. “I don’t know that anyone is doing what we are doing,” says Nicole Weis, MA, LPC, LAC, and director of Community Training and Empowerment at Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience.
The Greater Resilience Information Toolkit (GRIT) gives participants tools to effectively help people they care about cope with personal struggle or hardship — to build resiliency and recover from trauma.
“Trauma is anything that causes you to adapt in a stressful way with a stressful kind of environment,” says Weis. “A stress injury is simply ‘Did something occur to your body that injured some part of you,’ and stress and trauma is part of that.” A research-backed, practical, free online program, GRIT teaches techniques to build mental strength, support and listen to someone and understand the importance of resilience. GRIT has been used by 5000 people in 37 different countries and every state. Colorado boasts 3588 sign-ups. There is also the GRIT Conference, a Day of Positivity, coming March 6, 2026.
GRIT is one component of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience’s larger mission to advance human resilience to adversity through evidence-based solutions. The Institute is comprised of three divisions working in synergy to address mental health needs within our community, throughout the U.S. and around the world. Originally founded as the Trauma, Health, and Hazards Center in 2002, in March of 2020, it became the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience through a generous matching grant from the Lyda Hill Foundation. Today, the Institute directly impacts the lives of nearly 10,000 people every year.
The Research division conducts studies focused on human adaptation in the face of adversity and care models to support the human capacity to overcome. This research has direct impact on treatments and therapies to improve the quality of life and outcomes for stress, stress injury and trauma survivors. Research is funded through grants from a variety of local, state and federal entities.
The Healing division’s Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic (VHTC) provides treatment for veterans, active military, emergency responders and their family members. Another clinic, Milestones Resilience Care, is designed for everyone. Both use innovative, evidence-based and research-backed treatments to aid participants. Building Resilience after Injury: a Growth and Healing Toolkit (BRIGHT) develops and implements trauma-informed mental healthcare for physically injured patients in hospital emergency departments.
The Community Training and Empowerment division provides training and peer support opportunities for individuals and organizations. All of them teach the skills needed to build mental health resiliency within yourself, your social network and your organization.
GRIT Programs:
This series of self-paced online modules is completed in 2½ hours. There are additional, specialized, continuing education tracks designed for specific careers and professions.
GRIT-LEAD is designed for small business owners and corporate leaders. It focuses on building workplace resilience by helping teams and peers handle stress.
GRIT-4ED is for educators. It trains how to teach fellow staff members, students, and their families to overcome the unexpected and make confident choices about the future.
GRIT-4HEALTH is for nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers in the face of high stress, burnout or workplace violence.
GRIT-SERVE is for police officers, emergency responders and military members. It promotes stress management and readiness to assist colleagues especially in the face of disaster response.
Community Trainings and Workshops
Trainings and workshops are for any organization wanting to make a difference with its employees. Targeted to the needs of each organization, topics include the biology of stress, de-escalation, key wellness aids, substance use issues, other mental health concerns and many more. A workforce that is trauma-informed and resilience-informed can reduce employee turnover and build trust and support within the organization.
First Priority Peer Support
Professions such as emergency responders, search and rescue, medical staff and trauma assistance providers face great amounts of employment-based stress. Volunteers within an organization are equipped with skills and knowledge to be “peer supporters” and assist their colleagues. Ongoing supervision, continuing education and technologies are also available through the Institute.
Trauma Training Program
This online program is geared for individuals in stress-prone careers. It benefits professionals working in emergency response, education, medicine, the legal field and anyone who works with individuals who have experienced traumatic events. Students going into any of the above fields and individuals who have experienced stress or trauma themselves will also benefit.
