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Register Now to experience a whole-person approach to positive psychology and optimal well-being.
In this 9-month online and on-site course, you’ll experience an in-depth, integrated exploration of the science and direct application of wholebeing positive psychology.
Apply the whole-person approach personally and professionally in leadership, counseling, coaching, parenting, or teaching in order to
➤ Bring about lasting change in individuals and organizations
➤ Create healthy personal and professional relationships
➤ Build positive emotions and the resilience to deal with painful ones
➤ Develop constructive self-regard and grounded optimism.
Graduates leave with the tools, practices, and research to support an increased capacity for health, strengthened resilience, deeper mindfulness, and greater levels of overall well-being.
Held at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
Overview
For coaches, leaders, teachers, health professionals, social workers, psychologists, and anyone who wants to make tomorrow a little bit better than today.
Whether you want to improve your home life, better your workplace, grow personally or professionally, or start a new career, the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology offers you in-depth study, world-class faculty, and transformative experiences.
You learn through
➤ Online modules that include prerecorded video lectures by leading experts; live video webinars with core faculty and special guests focusing on the practice of positive psychology; reading assignments and homework; forum discussions and small-group work
➤ On-site immersions that bring together faculty and students from around the world for personal interaction, dynamic exercises, and a peaceful yet powerful gathering of community
➤ Ongoing interaction with small groups of fellow students in an atmosphere of support and collaboration.
Choose from two sessions:
You have two sessions to choose from, both beginning in 2019.
➤ Session A runs February 4 to September 21, 2019.
➤ Session B runs September 9, 2019, to April 25, 2020.
The curriculum consists of nine modules, including seven online modules and two on-site immersions. Immersions are each five days in length, starting on Sunday evening and ending Friday afternoon. Immersions are held at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Session A immersions are March 10–15 and September 15–20, 2019. Session B immersions are Oct 13—18, 2019, and April 19—24, 2020.
The online lessons combine prerecorded video lectures, live question-and-answer sessions via video webinars with rotating faculty, special guest webinars focusing on the practice of positive psychology, reading assignments, forum discussions, homework, and small-group work.
Module 1: Introduction to Wholebeing Happiness is immediately available upon registration, providing a self-directed foundation before the entire student body begins together with Module 2.
About
Bertrand Russell wrote, “The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties and the fullest realization of the world in which we live.” This cultivation of our own potential is critical in order to realize it.
In this course, we study and apply the evidence-based research in positive psychology to cultivate self-leadership—the ability to pilot our life towards the good.
You wouldn’t fly a 747 without training. And our minds are much more complicated than a jet engine. Engaging your head, heart, and hands in a way that positively impacts your life takes practice. Just as a pilot constantly moves between practice flights and the real thing, we can use our life to apply the science of human flourishing, gaining valuable skills to fly higher and happier at work, at home, and in life.
Alongside advances in positive psychology, great strides are being made in neurobiology—understanding how we can work constructively with our own minds, rewiring our brains in healthier ways. Studies on mindfulness are exploding as scientists explore and then teach us how to focus and use the power of attention. There’s a new field called “positive organizational scholarship” that helps create the conditions within organizations that allow people to flourish.
Practicing these tools in community, as we do in the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology, is a powerful elixir for positive change.
A Whole-Body Experience
The course extends the dimensions of positive psychology with a rare whole-person approach. Rather than a cognitive-only perspective on the science of well-being, students follow the SPIRE methodology.
Team Teaching
You have a teaching team supporting your learning experience, integrating expert advice in an organized and methodical way.
You connect with lead faculty in weekly video lectures, and that content is expanded through interviews with guest faculty. We also invite guest lecturers to join us for the live webinars. Between in-person immersions, live webinars, and recorded lectures and interviews, you’re exposed to many voices and perspectives within a consistent and cohesive learning experience.
What Students are Saying
“Absolutely groundbreaking to see how the structure of support was maintained throughout the year, leading to a deep understanding that connection is crucial to well-being. It’s not just about the tools and practices.”
“Wholebeing Institute offers deep science and deep human connection—a genuine sense that each of us matter. This is rare and very special.”
“Being a part of the Certificate in Positive Psychology allowed me to design the life I always dreamed of. Using the tools, I am a better father, husband, and professional.”
“The focus on building community is a differentiator for Wholebeing Institute. By keeping us connected, we become ambassadors for each other and the work.”
“The Certificate in Positive Psychology helped me define who I want to be as a contributor—I found my voice. It helped me make sense of who I am at my best. It gave me the clarity and the tools to make change—to act on what I learned.”
About the Immersions
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
All immersions are held at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the largest and most established retreat center for yoga, health, and holistic living in North America. You’ll not only learn the SPIRE aspects of whole-person well-being, you’ll experience living it at Kripalu.
Spiritual: Cultivate mindfulness and meaning through optional yoga and meditation classes before and after our course sessions, or by enjoying the gorgeous grounds and walking paths.
Physical: Explore the joy of YogaDance, the pleasure of healthy eating, and/or the gentle restoration of a Kripalu Healing Arts session.
Intellectual: Dive into the research and content from the learning sessions, and expand your understanding with book selections from the Kripalu Shop.
Relational: Connect with others through small group work and dyads, using the network to deepen the application of the science.
Emotional: Use gratitude and appreciation of beauty during all of the above excursions, and practice positivity boosters during our training to elevate and engage an upward spiral of well-being.
View the full course syllabus.
