About Us
Mission, Vision & Values
Mission
Resilience Across Borders is dedicated to increasing access to mental health interventions for all children and adolescents. Our research-informed program helps youth build resilience so they can adapt to life’s challenges and thrive.
Vision
By proactively building their resilience, children will grow into healthy adults. Resilience enhances social connections, academic engagement, and helps mitigate the effects of anxiety and depression.
Values
At Resilience Across Borders, we believe that…
- All children deserve access to proactive mental health resources, especially those who face barriers due to financial constraints
- Continued research is key to providing effective, evidence-based programs that meet our high standards of quality
- Engaging with and listening closely to our stakeholders will not only improve our programs, but also empower the communities we serve
- Accepting and including people of all identities and backgrounds is crucial in order to best serve our stakeholders, communities, volunteers, and staff
Our Story
Origins of the Resilience Builder Program®
In the 1990s, our Founder and Board President, Dr. Mary Alvord, and colleagues began studying how to teach children about resilience, the skills that help them bounce back from difficult experiences. From this work, Dr. Alvord developed the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP), a clinically proven group intervention used in private practice and schools to strengthen confidence, self‑esteem, self‑control, and coping strategies. RBP is proactive: learning resilience skills early can help prevent later struggles with anxiety or depression while also supporting youth already facing them.
Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
As Dr. Alvord’s work expanded; she saw how many children could not access therapy due to cost, logistics, or stigma. In 2015, she partnered with Dr. Brendan Rich at the Catholic University of America (and now at the University of Florida) to study the impact of delivering RBP directly in schools. This approach increased access especially for students from economically marginalized communities who have historically faced the greatest barriers to care.
In 2016, she founded Resilience Across Borders to bring the Resilience Builder Program® to public and tuition‑free private schools serving large numbers of students who qualify for free or reduced‑price meals.
Research and Impact (2016–2020)
From 2016–2020, Resilience Across Borders trained clinicians and graduate students to deliver the Resilience Builder Program® in small groups to students identified by partner schools as needing additional support.
Peer‑reviewed research showed:
- Increased resilience
- Increased prosocial behavior
- Increased positive emotions
- Decreased negative emotions
Although not the primary goal, students also showed meaningful gains in academic engagement and motivation.
This model was effective but limited—reaching just over 200 students across four years. Administrators asked for a way to bring resilience skills to more children, and the pandemic created an opportunity to redesign the program for broader reach.
Introducing the Resilience Builder Program® – Universal (RBP‑U)
After a successful pilot, we launched the Resilience Builder Program® – Universal (RBP‑U), a teacher‑implemented curriculum designed to reach entire classrooms.
RBP‑U includes:
- 25 ready-made, 15-minute lessons covering 12 essential resilience skills: like flexible thinking, conversation skills, and managing anxiety
- Step-by-step guides with scripts
- Brief, engaging videos to spark discussion
- Interactive classroom activities
- Family newsletters in English, Spanish and French to extend learning beyond the classroom
Teachers deliver these lessons to all students, dramatically expanding access. We provide training, lesson plans, short concept‑introducing videos, and classroom materials. Families also receive resources to help build resilience skills at home.
RBP‑U was developed by mental health experts in collaboration with local teachers who shared what content and formats would be most useful in their classrooms. Our trained mental health providers meet monthly with teachers to answer questions, support implementation, and gather feedback.
Our Reach Today
In the 2025–2026 school year, In 2025-2026, we trained 20 teachers this year, reaching 600 students through classroom‑wide lessons. Our goal is to double the number of teachers trained, and students served each year for the next two years, continuing our mission to make resilience skills accessible to all children.