Events and Programs

Positive Psychology for Mental and Physical Wellbeing in Turbulent Times

Education Store

Recharge and flourish in ways that align with your personality preferences for happiness and health. Dr. Liana Lianov, a lifestyle medicine doctor,

Workshop 28 March 2021 - 9.30 - 10.30 AM

The GPHI Positive Health for Health Practitioners workshop series is now available online. For a more impactful experience and to promote positive health practice in your health care settings, we strongly encourage you to contact us about the affiliate program. You’ll have the opportunity to partner with us and offer a customized version of these workshops for your colleagues. Our partners from around the world are gearing up to do just that.

Participants in the program learn how to leverage the science of positive psychology into health care through practical applications for health care settings outside of mental and behavioral health. This approach helps patients achieve positive health – a state of health and wellbeing beyond what can be achieved by addressing traditional lifestyle risk factors – such as being sedentary and unhealthy eating habits.

This approach harnesses additional, protective health factors based in person-centered, positive psychology science, in the form of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and positive health interventions (PHIs). Examples include positive social connection, acts of kindness, doing meaningful activities, gratitude practice, savoring, positive reappraisal and reminiscence, self-compassion, regularly applying character strengths and much more. Moreover, the positive health practice approach is essential to successful behavior changes of traditional risk factors.

Why is this shift in practice important now more than ever? This practice can support patients to thrive and even grow personally in the face of increasing adversity and challenges in our world. The current societal environment is leading to an increase in mental and physical illness, substance use disorders, and greater use of costly health care resources.

Clinical practitioners can assess positive emotions, prescribe PPIs, monitor positive activities, and boost interactions with patients, colleagues and coworkers with the positive psychology goals and mindset. The association of positive emotions with health habits nudges patients to follow-through with health habits in an easier, nonconscious way. Patients achieve better health and wellbeing through adherence to healthy lifestyles and direct physiologic benefits of positive health activities.

Course Highlights:
– What is positive health?
– How can positive emotions and positive activities be assessed?
– What are science-based positive psychology interventions?
– How can positive psychology approaches be leveraged into health coaching?
– How can a health practitioner in a traditional health care settings prescribe PPIs?
– What are easy ways to adopt a positive psychology approach in a busy clinical practice?
– Where can one find helpful and supportive resources for patients?
– How can positive health science be integrated into care to support practitioner well-being?

Gia Merlo MD at New York University, Gail Ironson, MD at the University of Miami, Erika Jackson at Wellcoaches, and Prachi Garodia, MD at the Veterans Affairs Whole Health Program are just a few of the amazing faculty for the course.

Participants who complete the workshop series and the videos on the foundation of positive psychology can earn a positive health for health practitioners course certificate.

The GPHI team hopes you enjoy the course and successfully apply the lessons for your own wellbeing. Join us in transforming health and medicine for positive health!

1A – Positive Health Foundations for Health Practitioners

This video series course provides essential review of the link between positive psychology and health. Topics include: assessing happiness and life satisfaction; prescribing positive psychology interventions; the association of purpose and optimism and chronic diseases, e.g. chronic obstructive disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke; spirituality/religiosity and health outcomes; kindness images and stress in clinical settings; positive psychology interventions and stress in medically ill patients; positive psychology approaches in health systems showcasing the US Veterans Affairs Whole Health Program; social connectivity and health; cultural differences in positive psychology approaches; mindfulness, movement and stress reduction; and positive action planning for health behavior change.

Education Store

1B – Positive Health Clinical Practice Workshop for Health Practitioners

This course offers a choice of engaging in a live virtual interactive forum over 8-weeks (one hour each week) or a self-paced online program.

1. Live program – engage in discussion groups and complete thought exercises during each session. Those who are unable to attend some live sessions can view recordings and submit responses to exercises. The next live workshop starts January 25, Thursdays at 4:30 PM Pacific time.
2. Self-paced program – view videos and submit responses to exercises at your own pace, offered year-round.

The program guides participants through exercises and positive psychology tools for health care practice (including developing a case-based experience), such as positive psychology assessments, prescriptions, health coaching techniques, and more. We will also highlight practical applications of positive psychology interventions for self-care and patient care.

Completing this course will serve as a springboard for participants to make changes in their practices and serve as early adopters for positive health within their health care settings.

This 1B course can be combined with 1A. Upon completion of both the Positive Health Foundations for Health Practitioners course and the forum exercises, participants will earn a certificate. This Certificate in Positive Health Clinical Practice is an opportunity to join a growing community of practitioners who stand out in practice excellence by grounding their clinical work in a comprehensive healthy lifestyle approach. The comprehensive approach facilitates patients a state of positive health – a state of health and wellbeing achieved by addressing traditional risk factors and additional health protective factors based in positive psychology and the biopsychosocial model.

Education Store

1C – Positive Health Clinical Practice Certificate for Health Practitioners

This course includes the video series Positive Health Foundations for Health Practitioners (1A), as well as the 8-week workshop, one hour each week (1B). The workshop discussions will guide participants to develop experience with positive psychology exercises, assessments, and prescriptions and plan practical applications of positive psychology interventions for their personal wellbeing and patient care.

Upon completion of both the Positive Health Foundations for Health Practitioners course and the workshop, participants will earn a Certificate in Positive Health Clinical Practice. This certificate is an opportunity to join a growing community of practitioners who stand out in practice excellence by grounding their clinical work in a comprehensive healthy lifestyle approach. The comprehensive approach facilitates patients a state of positive health – a state of health and wellbeing achieved by addressing traditional risk factors and health protective factors based in positive psychology and the biopsychosocial model.

Education Store

2A – Positive Psychology and Mind-Body Interventions for Mental Wellbeing

This course targets how positive psychology can support and advance mental wellbeing and flourishing when individuals experience adverse conditions or traumas. Both health professional and general audiences can benefit from the course which combines presentations, an expert interview and a practical exercise.

Key sessions include highlights from leading studies on positive psychology interventions in the context of adversity in daily life and after trauma, research on resilience in the context of past traumas, an introduction to the role of mind-body medicine in health and health care, a review of brain-based interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder and a range of traumas, an interview with a leading addiction specialist on addressing hedonic addictions, a peek at early research into courage as a positive psychology intervention, and a step-by-step guide and review of a scientific study on life crafting to boost a meaningful life and reduce burn out. At the end of this course, you’ll have a grounding in the practical interventions that you can apply for yourself and patients.

Education Store

    Get in touch

    Please prove you are human by selecting the cup.