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You studied long and hard to learn interventions that would relieve your clients’ symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma. Yet the absence of symptoms is not the same thing as a life filled with purpose and joy. There’s more.

Your clients, like everyone else, also long for a happier, more meaningful life.

Positive psychology, the science of happiness, provides evidence-based interventions that can help your clients return to baseline, and extend the possibilities into thriving.

“Positive Psychology studies the condition and processes that enable individuals, communities and institutions to flourish. It explores what works, what is right, and what can be nurtured.” —Rashid & Seligman, 2018

Who This Course Is For
This course is for all clinicians, including non-licensed clinicians: psychiatrists and other physicians, psychologists, pastoral counselors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, counselors of all specialties (e.g., marriage and family counseling, substance abuse, college), case managers, and coaches.
Continuing Education Credits

28 Continuing Education hours are available for Psychologists, Psychoanalysts, Social Workers, Counselors/Marriage and Family Therapists, Creative Arts Therapists, Chemical Dependency Counselors, Educators, Nurses, Dentists.

There is a $40 additional fee for credits. Students can register for these credits after registering for the course.

About Positive Psychotherapy
There’s a new branch of research-based healing known as positive psychotherapy (PPT). It grew from the field of positive psychology, and focuses on the use of positive interventions in therapy. PPT is emerging as a universal therapeutic foundation for clinical work.

Positive psychology and PPT practices go beyond symptom management. They help clients to thrive by learning to recognize what is strong and good in their lives, learn new strategies that support well-being, and, as Rashid and Seligman describe, “deploy what is best about them in order to buffer against mental disorders.”

This 8-week course will introduce participants to the foundational concepts and practices of positive psychology, and explore how these positive interventions can be introduced when working in diverse clinical settings. Participants will build a toolkit that will help their clients exceed their previous baseline and thrive.

The primary goal of this course is to learn and apply a wide range of practical positive psychology interventions that are useful for clients with significant clinical conditions. Participants will also learn about the personal value of these practices for managing their own stressors and improving their personal happiness.

The course includes opportunities to practice interventions and experience their impact. The emphasis is on the importance of developing resilience, and the relevant research and techniques that can enhance a client’s ability to recover from stress and trauma. At the close of the course, participants will be better able to help their clients function well, with improved quality of life, in the face of significant psychological distress.

Learning Objectives
Participants who complete the course lessons will be able to:
  • Describe the history and foundations of positive psychology
  • Describe the Whole-Person Well-Being concept (SPIRE elements) and how this systemic framework relates to bio-psycho-social models and developmental theories
  • Identify, cultivate, and utilize character strengths in clinical work
  • Describe the importance of general resilience and identify specific practices for building resilience
  • Use narrative practices to help clients revise their personal stories and increase levels of hope, optimism, and persistence
  • Describe applications of contemporary positive intervention structures that build resilience, including grit, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Growth Mindset, when working in both individual and group settings
  • Identify ways to apply positive psychology interventions with clinical populations, including clients with depression and anxiety
  • Learn strategies for supporting the formation of positive habits
  • Learn ways to apply the material to their own lives to improve personal well-being and reduce the risk of burnout.
Weekly Topics
Week 1: Introduction to Positive Psychology and Clinical Work

Week 2: SPIRE: A Universal Framework for Clinical Work

Week 3: Building Resilience: The Common Toolkit

Week 4: Positive Psychology and Post-Traumatic Growth

Week 5: Positive Psychology and Depression and Anxiety

Week 6: Positive Psychology and Substance Abuse

Week 7: Positive Psychology and Child and Family Work

Week 8: Developing the Habits of Positive Psychology

Schedule and Time Commitment
Webinars will be weekly Eastern Time.

This course will require 2 hours of work each week, in addition to the 1.5-hour weekly webinar.

Technology
Students will be able to easily connect to live sessions by webinar (audio and video) or phone (audio only). Recordings will be posted following each session for those unable to join live or who would like to review the material again.
Faculty
Anthony M. Zipple, ScD, MBA

Anthony M. Zipple, ScD, MBA

Program Faculty

Dr. Zipple is an expert in improving individual, team, and organizational well-being and success. He consults, teaches, and coaches in areas related to positive psychology, talent optimization, resilience, and organizational change. During his 40-year career, he has served as a senior executive for three nationally prominent behavioral health organizations and held positions as a full-time professor, senior academic researcher, consultant, therapist, and executive coach. By blending his deep expertise in positive psychology and organizational behavior, he has helped individuals and teams in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East reach their goals and flourish. Dr. Zipple holds a doctorate in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University, an MBA from the University of New Hampshire, and a master’s degree in environmental design from the University of Notre Dame. He is a licensed psychologist and has certifications in coaching, cognitive behavioral treatments, and positive psychology interventions.
Phoebe Atkinson, LCSW-R, TEP

Phoebe Atkinson, LCSW-R, TEP

Program Faculty

Phoebe is a psychotherapist and coach in private practice in New York City, where she uses experiential training methods to help groups and individuals gain personal insight, influence, and effectiveness. She holds a Master’s of Social Work degree from New York University, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (TEP Trainer Educator Practitioner), and a Board-Certified Coach (BCC). She holds a Certificate in Positive Psychology from Wholebeing Institute (WBI) and serves as a member of the WBI teaching faculty. Phoebe also teaches positive psychology programs at the JCC Manhattan. As a member of The Next Level Coaching Consortium, she has partnered extensively in the design and facilitation of the Rutgers University Executive Leadership Program for Women, providing executive coaching to women in the insurance, financial, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and nonprofit sectors.
Registration is now open!
Tuition for this course is $795 USD
Payment plans are available for a limited time.
Contact us for more information at [email protected].