Positive Psychotherapy

What is the focus of positive psychotherapy?

reorientation to a build-what’s-strong model that supplements the traditional fix-what’s-wrong approach

PT does not say that the other psychotherapies are inferior/unimportant — just believes they don’t go ____ _______ in therapeutic processes.

far, enough

Define Flourishing

state characterized by positive emotions, a strong sense of personal meaning, good work, and positive relationships

What is the Effectiveness Ceiling

65% of clients improve with psychotherapy, which means 35% do not respond, drop out, or get worse. (The patterns holds across all previously learned approaches (CBT, Mindfulness, Humanistic, Behaviorism, Psychoanalytic)

Martin Seligman urged psychology to turn towards _____ and _____ the human strengths to complement our emphasis on healing damage.

understanding, building

What is the Positive Psychology Movement (PERMA?)

Health means more than the absence of disease

Most people find life meaningful

True happiness comes from overcoming important challenges

What does PERMA stand for?

Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement

Define Positive Emotion

Include hope, joy, interest, compassion. Prime indicator of flourishing and they can be cultivated or learned to improve wellbeing

Examples of keeping positive emotion

Keep a gratitude journal, Self expression, Practice mindfulness

Define Engagement

Flow includes the loss of self consciousness and complete absorption of an activity

People are more likely to experience flow when they use their character ______

strengths

Define Relationships

The various interactions individuals have with partners, friends, family members, and their community at large. The sense of feeling supported, loved, and valued by others.

Examples of keeping relationships

Bonding and boundaries, Listening actively, Self advocating (I matter) and connecting with others (you matter)

Define Meaning

belonging and serving something greater than ourselves

Examples of meaning

Let talents take you across life, Life purpose interview

Define Achievement

Working towards a goal, mastering an endeavor, having self motivation to finish what you set out to do

Examples of achievement

Build a growth mindset, Focus on mental toughness and willpower, Set realistic goal

What are the Core Assumptions of Positive Psychology?

1. Mental health is more than symptom reduction

2. Humans have strengths and capacities that can be cultivated

3. Well-being can be measured and taught

4. Positive traits act as buffers against psychopathology

5. Flourishing involves emotion, engagement, meaning, and accomplishment

Removing suffering does not ______ produce well-being.

automatically

Positive psychology does not deny _______

suffering

Psychopathology is understood as….

• Absence or underdevelopment of well-being skills

• Imbalance between deficits and strengths

• Narrow focus on distress without growth

Symptoms and strengths can _____ (Roses have Thorns).

coexist

What are Seligman & Peterson’s VIA Classification
Six Universal Virtues?

1. Wisdom
2. Courage
3. Humanity
4. Justice
5. Temperance
6. Transcendence

What are some Character Strengths?

Curiosity, gratitude, perseverance, kindness, hope

Strengths are morally valued ______ that can be cultivated.

traits

Positive psychology interventions work through (name 4)

• Broadening attention and cognition (Broaden-and-Build Theory)

• Building enduring personal resources

• Increasing meaning and agency

• Enhancing positive emotion without denial of pain

Change occurs by _____strengths, not just______ problems.

adding, removing

MT Interventions are often brief, _____, and homework-based

structured

how does the therapist function in PT

·      Strengths-focused collaborator

·      Coach and facilitator

·      Balance-holder (pain + possibility)

positive psychology is NOT forced ______ or “toxic positivity”

optimism

where is PT strongly applicable?

·      Resilience and relapse prevention

·      Education and schools

·      Organizations and leadership

·      Health psychology

what are some strengths of PT?

·      Empirically grounded

·      Preventive and promotive

·      Transdiagnostic