EMPOWERING OUR CLIENTS TO FLOURISH: INTEGRATING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY INTO YOUR CLINICAL PRACTICE

EMPOWERING OUR CLIENTS TO FLOURISH: INTEGRATING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY INTO YOUR CLINICAL PRACTICE

How can I empower my clients to become more resilient and optimistic when faced with stressful life events? What can I do to help my clients find more purpose and meaning in life?

Positive Psychology offers many research-based tools and strategies for helping our clients improve the quality of and significant relationships in their lives. We know from Positive Psychology research that by having and sharing regularly gratitude with others, being optimistic and possessing a positive outlook toward the future, curiosity, zest for life, and being able to establish and maintain strong social connections with others, are strongly associated with life satisfaction. We also know that by assisting our clients in generating more positive emotion in their lives it will help neutralize negative thoughts and feelings and increase their optimism, hope, and happiness levels.

In this practice-oriented workshop, participants will learn how to apply the major therapeutic tools and strategies of Positive Psychology to their work with children and youth, adults, couples, and families. Furthermore, we will discuss how to use these methods in schools and in other practice settings. As a result of attending this “hands-on” workshop, participants will be able to do the following:

  • Use the VIA Inventory of Strengths for Adults and Youth to identify key client signature strengths
  • Embrace the future: Identify and use specific therapeutic tools and strategies to increase client optimism and positive outlook
  • Embracing the NOW: Enhancing clients’ capacities to savor the miraculous moment and find inner peace and harmony
  • Honor and make peace with the past: Using positive emotion to neutralize the effects of past trauma, giving gratitude, and forgiveness
  • Increase client meaning and purpose in life: Finding the sparks for curiosity and flow state activities, learning from and using serendipity and epiphanies, and making a difference in the world
  • Use Positive Psychology interventions with couples and families
  • Application of Positive Psychology to schools and different practice settings

The workshop format will consist of information-rich didactic presentation and skill-building exercises.

Whats New?

Due to popular worldwide demand for a longer more intensive training experience in our model, our Partners team is now offering a 5-Day and 4-Day Advanced International Certificate Training Program in Collaborative Strengths-Based Brief Family Therapy. In addition to lots of videotape examples of major therapeutic tools and strategies of the Collaborative Strengths-Based Brief Family Therapy approach, there will be both daily live couple and family therapy consultations and skill-building exercises. Finally, we will cover effective strategies for working with some of the toughest clinical dilemmas, such as: long-term self-injurers, suicidal, violent, eating disorder, heavy substance abusing clients, high-conflict couples, families with multiple symptom-bearers, post-divorce conflict families, and more. Click on the LEVEL I and II training descriptions and topics covered below.

Matthew’s book Pathways to Change: Brief Therapy with Difficult Adolescents, Second Edition was just published in Korean. A copy was presented to me at my workshop in Seoul, which was hosted by the Korean Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association.

Matthew’s new book: Working with High-Risk Adolescents: A Collaborative Strengths-Based Therapy Approach, has been published by Guilford Press, Inc.

To view a downloadable flyer of my book, click here