Positive Psychology and Coaching are a perfect match, united in helping clients to thrive. Positive psychology coaching is an evidence-based practice for the enhancement of wellbeing, achievement and resilience. Dr. Carol Kauffman defines positive psychology coaching as “a scientifically-rooted approach to helping clients increase well-being, enhance and apply strengths, improve performance and achieve value goals”.
Positive psychology is the practical science of optimal human functioning and what it takes to feel good, function well and flourish. As we emerge from the pandemic with fresh challenges to deal with, positive psychology has much to offer to strengthen ourselves and our clients for the way forward.
Would you like some positive psychology for your coaching programme?
The courses outlined below were first delivered for the Association for Coaching, and now can be made available as part of any in-house coach training programme. They introduce three major elements in positive psychology coaching and show you how to use the science to enhance your coaching practice. The webinars demonstrate:
- How positive psychology can help clients to flourish in their personal and professional life
- How positive psychology can help clients build their resilience and recover wellbeing
Positive Psychology for Coaching
Webinar 1: Positive Psychology for Wellbeing. This webinar introduces positive psychology as the applied science of wellbeing. We explore the key models of happiness and the benefits of and barriers to happiness. We get to know the two major dimensions of wellbeing and explore the broaden and build theory of positive emotions as well as a range of positivity practices.
Webinar 2: Positive Psychology for Achievement. In this session we explore our strengths – how we are at our best and how to apply our strengths to realise our potential. We also delve into motivation, the growth mindset and grit – how to keep going towards our goals.
Webinar 3: Positive Psychology for Resilience. Our final session is about applying positive psychology to build resilience and recover our wellbeing. We delve into positive coping, optimism practices including the ABCDE model, which is a major element of the Penn Resilience Programme. We also explore the silver lining in adversity – post-traumatic growth.
Positive Psychology Coaching: Strengthening Wellbeing
Strengths are the tools we work with in positive psychology coaching to help people perform at their best, build their wellbeing and realise their potential. This webinar series will give you a grounding in three key pillars of positive psychology to use in your coaching practice – strengths for a positive self, positive emotions for greater wellbeing and optimism for a positive outlook to support us on the journey ahead. You will learn:
- How positive psychology knowledge and tools can add to your coaching practice.
- How strengths can be leveraged to help people achieve their goals and build wellbeing.
- How experiencing positive emotions has multiple benefits for personal and professional wellbeing.
- How optimism practices act as psychological self-defence to strengthen resilience.
- How positive psychology coaching can strengthen the way ahead.
Webinar 1: Strengthening the Self. Strengths are how we are at our best. This session explores how they can be leveraged to help us to greater wellbeing and success. Strengths coaching is founded on the idea that there are positive attributes in everyone, which can be harnessed to help people realise their potential.
Webinar 2: Strengthening Positivity. Positive emotions are more than good feelings. They broaden our thinking, stimulating creativity and build psychological resources that can transform our lives for the better. This session will explore the benefits of experiencing positive emotions and the positivity practices that add the feel-good factor.
Webinar 3: Strengthening Optimism. At the heart of the positive psychology approach to resilience is optimism. You’ll learn how to challenge pessimistic thinking with two key techniques and explore transformational resilience and growth. This is the silver lining in the pandemic – the positive changes that can happen in the wake of an adversity.
The sessions are a mix of input and practice in breakout rooms, giving you an opportunity to get first-hand experience of trying out the techniques within a friendly community of fellow coaches.
“A very useful and interesting seminar with lots of practical tools and tips. Miriam was very easy to listen to and able to answer any questions thrown at her or advise further reading which was great. She was very down-to-earth and clearly enjoyed sharing her knowledge. I particularly enjoyed the interaction parts with other participants. Very enjoyable and useful.”
Miriam Akhtar MAPP is a positive psychologist and leading practitioner of the science of wellbeing. She is one of a hundred global experts invited to contribute to the World Book of Happiness and its sequel the World Book of Hope. Miriam works as a coach and trainer and is a visiting lecturer on the Executive Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (EMAPP) at the University of Lisbon.
