Enhancing Human Resilience

Between 2009 and 2014, Wiebers helped U.S. Armed Forces Service Corporation become the U.S. Department of Defense’s leader in resilience training.  In 2009, he was approached by U.S. Armed Forces Service Corporation and Veterans Innovation Center to assist with efforts to prevent suicide and enhance resilience in soldiers, veterans and their families.  He served as a senior medical advisor providing medical and neurological expertise on initiatives, including: the production of a movie (Mental Acuity Program) that is now regularly used as a teaching tool to help soldiers maintain resilience under the most stressful situations; developing teaching programs and toolkits for soldiers, veterans and their families to enhance resilience and prevent depression, anxiety disorders and other forms of mental illness; and an evidence-based resiliency training program for caregivers of veteran patients with chronic diseases and other disabilities delivered through a seven week online course to improve caregiver wellbeing and quality of life, and to provide higher quality of life and lower healthcare costs for disabled veterans.  These initiatives are aimed at the 20 million U.S. Veterans, 6 million caregivers of Veteran patients and the 1.4 million active U.S. military personnel.  Wiebers also worked on the Board of Advisors for Cause and Effect in 2010 and 2011 to help produce the PBS documentary This Emotional Life and Deployment Toolkit for service members and their families, designed to increase resilience and overall wellness and wellbeing in service members and their families.  This effort was undertaken in conjunction with Paul Allen’s Vulcan Productions and PBS.