Mental health requires more than treatment – it requires the ability to recognize, regulate, and prevent unhealthy stress. This modular online programme provides participants with a practical understanding of how the nervous system functions, along with concrete tools for  preventing unhealthy stress in themselves and in their interactions with others.

Format: 6 sessions of 50 minutes each. Sessions may be delivered individually or in pairs. The programme combines scientific teaching, reflection, dialogue, and practical regulation exercises.

The programme is delivered online via Whereby, a simple and user-friendly video platform that requires no installation or login. Participants join with a single click in their browser. The platform supports lectures, discussions, and breakout groups, making it possible to combine flexibility with active participation and knowledge sharing across the organization.

Maximum number of participants: 20

Description

Knowledge of how the nervous system functions is a key to understanding and preventing unhealthy stress. When we understand what happens in the body under pressure, it becomes easier to respond constructively – both in relation to ourselves and to others.

The programme provides participants with insight into why stress occurs, how it affects the brain, body, and behavior, and what can be done to regulate and prevent it. Participants will also gain an understanding of how stress influences collaboration, communication, and psychological safety, and how stress prevention can be strengthened within teams, organizations, and communities.

The programme combines theory and practice, enabling participants to gradually build greater flexibility, resilience, and capacity for action in the face of challenges and demands.

Session 1

Stress: Understanding the Body’s Alarm System

• Stress mechanisms in the brain and nervous system
• Stress symptoms and stress reactions
• The relationship between stress, emotions, and the body

An introduction to contemporary scientific understandings of stress and how chronic demands influence well-being, functioning, and health.

Session 2

Why Do We React Differently to Stress?

• How experience shapes stress reactions
• Individual differences in stress sensitivity
• Triggers and automatic stress reactions

An exploration of why people respond differently to challenges and how life experiences shape the nervous system’s responses.

Session 3

When Stress Affects Collaboration and Relationships

• Individual stress and team stress
• Co-regulation and interacting nervous systems
• How stress affects communication and collaboration

Understanding how stress can spread through social systems, influence relationships, and undermine psychological safety and constructive cooperation.

Session 4

Recognizing and Regulating Stress

• Identifying stress before it takes over
• Pathways into the body’s stress systems
• Acute regulation strategies
• Evidence-based regulation exercises

Practical methods for reducing physiological alarm responses and strengthening the body’s ability to return to balance.

Session 5

When Regulation Becomes Prevention

• Practical approaches to stress prevention
• Sleep, recovery, and balancing demands
• Building a stronger physiological baseline

Participants work with integrating regulation and stress prevention into everyday routines and working life.

Session 6

From Insight to Lasting Change

• Key takeaways from the programme
• Reflection and exchange of experiences
• Individual strategies for continued practice

A concluding session focused on translating knowledge and methods into sustainable changes in everyday life.

Instructor

Karen Johanne Pallesen, PhD, MSc, lecturer, educator, and stress coach specializing in stress, the nervous system, and self-regulation.

Materials

Course materials and exercise guides are provided at the start of the programme, enabling participants to work continuously with the methods and insights presented throughout the course.

Publications and Opinion Pieces

(In Danish)
Arbejdspladser bør gøre forebyggelse af stress til en naturlig del af arbejdskulturen (Information, 2023)
Kronik: Seks klassiske misforståelser om stress og stresssymptomer (Politiken, 2024)