In cooperation with the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Armenian Medical Association of Quebec (Association Médicale Arménienne du Québec – AMAQ), the FOCUS Resilience Curriculum aimed at developing resilience in children and adolescents has been implemented in Armenia since 2023, within the framework of which two-day training courses were held at the Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center on December 22-23, 2025.
The training courses were aimed at improving and modernizing the skills of specialists in increasing the emotional resilience of school-age children and adolescents, in order to form and develop the key skills included in the FOCUS Resilience Curriculum:
- ✦ Emotion Regulation;
- ✦ Communication;
- ✦ Goal Setting;
- ✦ Problem Solving;
- ✦ Stress Resistance.
Psychologists from more than 50 secondary educational institutions in Kotayk and Ararat Marzes participated in the training courses.
The training courses were conducted by certified FOCUS program trainers Astghik Grigoryan, Anush Hovhannisyan, Naira Mkhitaryan, Kristine Mkrtchyan and Nune Vardanyan.
RPPC Director Lilit Mnatsakanyan welcomed the participants of the training course. She spoke about the development of resilience in children and adolescents, the importance of projects implemented in this direction in the context of complex regional developments, elaborated on the processes implemented in cooperation with various structures within the framework of the FOCUS program, as well as touched upon the activities planned to be implemented within the framework of the program introduction.
The training courses were conducted through complementary theoretical and practical stages, during which participants were introduced to the characteristics of children’s emotional regulation, communication, goal setting, problem solving, and stress resistance when working with different age groups. The acquired knowledge was reinforced through a variety of practical exercises, during which participants applied behavioral management strategies, methods, and techniques, flexibly adapting them to local contexts and school environments in line with the nine modules included in the program.
The FOCUS Resilience Curriculum was developed by the Division of Population Behavioral Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and was translated into Armenian and introduced in Armenia through the joint efforts of the Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center and the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. During 2023-2025, the pilot phase of the program was implemented in general educational institutions across Armenia, involving 6 schools, 7 specialists, and 125 students. The results of the pilot implementation of the program indicate a statistically significant increase in the levels of well-being (WHO-5) and resilience (CD-RISC) among school-age children and adolescents, as well as high evaluations of the program methodology and professional approaches. In 2025–2026, the program is planned to continue in schools in Kotayk and Ararat Marzes, including program monitoring and implementation, ongoing consultation, and training of trainers (ToT).
It should be noted that the FOCUS program in Armenia is being implemented with the support of a grant from the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Armenian Medical Association of Quebec (AMAQ).
29.12.2025
