Positive Psychology

The skills that build flourishing are different from the skills that alleviate suffering. Removing the disabling conditions is not the same as building the enabling conditions that make life most worth living.

Human strengths, excellence, and flourishing are just as authentic as human distress. People want to cultivate the best version of themselves and live a meaningful life. They want to grow their capacities for love and compassion, creativity and curiosity, work and resilience, and integrity and wisdom.

When Dr. Seligman was president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, one of his presidential initiatives was the building of a field called Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the factors that enable individuals and communities to flourish.

Reading Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman in 2002 changed my life. From that moment, I pursued Positive Psychology as a way of life, adopting its core beliefs and basic assumptions in my life whilst attempting to influence those close around me. And now, as a mental health practitioner, I use the theories of well-being that are the building blocks of Positive Psychology.

Although I take a non-directive approach in counselling, psychoeducation is still part of what I do. Young people deserve to learn more about better ways to manage their uncomfortable emotions. With both parents and children, I incorporate a preventative model to build resilience, character strengths, emotions, social competence and other related skills.