What is Positive Psychology?

One helpful approach for counseling clients is called positive psychology. This theory helps clients to not just think in a positive way but to also focus on wellness and how to thrive and build happier lives. The idea behind positive psychology is to help people discover and use their strengths. Counselors help clients to learn ways of tapping into their strengths in a way that works for their situation. They use a gentle, permission seeking approach when offering ideas, which has been found to be helpful for people who are dealing with a variety of challenges.

The four basic concepts of positive psychology include tuning into positive emotions, finding meaning and purpose, seeking healthy relationships, and appreciating achievement. Focusing on these can help clients improve their mood and outlook, discover what they value, make connections with others, and find and apply their strengths to improve their lives. This theory essentially helps people to change their behaviors and ways of thinking. The idea of positive psychology is to move beyond recovery from challenges to thriving and achieving a good quality of life. The techniques not only improve mental and physical health but they can also enhance a client’s thinking processes.

Gratitude, forgiveness, savoring moments, and mindfulness are all skills that clients can learn to help them to improve and thrive. The skills require clients to take action and to practice, which is similar to the work done in cognitive behavioral therapy. Counselors may use different techniques to encourage clients, such as journaling, helping clients discover where they feel stuck, and teaching awareness.

Positive psychology can help people who are dealing with relationship issues, depression, issues of forgiveness, and anxiety. One technique, flow, is helpful for people who are dealing with anxiety. The counselor helps the client think of activities that helped him or her get into the flow of not worrying about anything else, such as doing a hobby or taking a walk. Flow can be achieved even by a person who is having anxious body symptoms and can help to calm their mind.

Learning to savor daily moments can also have a positive influence on peoples’ perception of what is happening in their lives. Many of us tend to remember negative experiences in detail. We can learn to recall and savor happy moments by practicing paying attention to what is good. Making meaning about a past event, even looking at how it turned out for the best, and focusing on the good aspects of that event can help clients to get new perspectives too. Positive psychology is one technique that counselors at Anchorpoint use in individual and group therapy to help clients move toward wellness and healing.