Applied Positive Psychology PG Cert, PG Dip

Optional modules (subject to availability)

• Positive Child Development

  This module approaches child development as a lens with which to better understand human behaviour more broadly. Studying the processes of development in general, and the experience of infants, children, and adolescents in particular, is an important, and often overlooked, source of information in understanding optimal adult functioning. This module therefore is designed to appeal to all, including those who do not see themselves as “interested in children.” The module introduces some of the main issues of development, including the influences and interactions of nature and nurture, and the process of change more generally. An overview of the current research on many aspects of positive cognitive, social and emotional development will allow you to critically examine different techniques and the interplay between cognition, emotion, and social well-being. Within cognitive development, special attention is drawn to the role of attention in development, self-regulation, and wellbeing. Within social and emotional development, you will examine the development of empathy, morality, and social connection, followed by research on the importance of play and how it is related to learning, engagement and flow. Throughout the module, the application of common positive psychology concepts, as applied in the context of children and adolescents, is highlighted, including mindfulness, empathy, kindness, engagement and purpose.

• Positive Psychology Coaching

  In recent years, a highly successful partnership was developed between coaching and positive psychology. Both coaching and positive psychology are natural allies in sharing an explicit concern with the enhancement of optimal functioning and well-being, arguing for a strengths-based approach to performance improvement. Both claim that attention should be directed towards finding what is right with the person and working on enhancing it. Judging by the number of papers in coaching journals and keynotes in coaching conferences, positive psychology has become an essential fixture in the coaching world. Frequently seen as a theoretical panacea upon which a convincing explanation for coaching effectiveness can be based, positive psychology has indeed offered a number of theories and empirical studies considered useful by coaching professionals. However, few attempts have been made to apply positive psychology concepts to coaching over and above some standard evidence-based psychology interventions (e.g. “three blessings”, “gratitude visit”, etc) that can often be perceived by coaches as inappropriate for their business clients. The module aims to address the above reservations by discussing context-appropriate ways to utilise existing positive psychology interventions, as well as introducing and practicing new positive psychology based tools and models developed specifically for coaching practice. This module will enable practitioners to translate concepts into action in a ‘nuts and bolts’ way. This module will include both theories and practical tools for working happiness and emotions. It will further equip coaches with skills to create, implement and sustain optimal performance through helping their coachees to identify and harness their strengths, as well as their psychological capital. The relationship between time, well-being and performance will be discussed and operationalised with regard to empirical research on various aspects of psychology of time, including time perspective and subjective time use. Finally, the module will examine known barriers to making a successful change, such as our beliefs, mindset, low levels of self-regulation and the complexity of the change process itself.

• Positive Psychology for Practitioners

  The aim of this module is to build your confidence to apply positive psychology in the real world. We will critically explore what is meant by Positive Psychological Interventions (PPI) and the intricacies of developing (designing, implementing and evaluating) an intervention and achieving a good fit between the PPI’s initial theoretical intention and its effectiveness. We will explore published PPIs, as well as lesser-known ones, looking to identify skills, techniques, and strategies. We will explore the notion of Positive Design, looking at how it can facilitate the creation of novel interventions, as well as investigate other important domains of practice, such as work and the community. We will expand our critical discussions around the practitioner development aspects of engaging in applied positive psychology activities by also focusing on practitioner strengths, supervision and personal development as part of core training needs.

• Fostering Wellbeing in the Self

  This module will introduce you to empirical perspectives on individual well-being, as well as the methodology it relies on. We will consider perspectives on how we understand individual differences in happiness and well-being, including personality and intentional behaviours. You will explore factors thought to influence wellbeing and critically examine the evidence for their influence and its quality. This module will equip you with theoretical knowledge and empirical foundations to inspect the influence of a range of factors on well-being in the context of personal experiences. It will also enable you to pursue behavioural studies of wellbeing within the individual in a professional or an academic context. Over the course of a week, you will engage with lectures and seminar sessions focusing on: Defining and measuring individual wellbeing, and factors that contribute to individual wellbeing, as understood at the level/s of personality, intentional behaviours, demographics, and lifestyle (e.g. playfulness, optimism, altruism, exercise, self-care, etc).

• Positive Organisations and Appreciative Inquiry

  Appreciative inquiry approach is a novel method of change management born in the end of the 1980s in the USA. This approach draws support from the constructivist theory and positive psychology. It is a shift from the traditional problem solving approach to focusing attention and basing the changes on the successes, the strengths, the positive energies of an organisation, rather than staying problems-, deficits-, or mistakes-centred, yet following a well defined methodology. The module will examine the concept and methodology of appreciative inquiry as applied to the organizational and management context. You will work on identifying the characteristics of a appreciative organisation, using the principles of strength based management, appreciative inquiry as a positive change method, and positive management techniques. You will also learn the practical skills of positing questions that open the floodgates for positive change, engaging the whole system, and generating measurable results.

• Positive Social Connection

  This module describes the science behind social connection and explores how we can use it to improve the quality of our relationships. The course is about all relationships - friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, and strangers. It is not, therefore, a module on love and marriage or our most intimate relationships; it is about the dozens of exchanges we encounter in our daily lives, whether in person or virtual. It is a module about social connection. In its broadest sense, Positive Psychology is the study of the positive side of human nature. This includes individual well-being and the familiar concepts of engagement, gratitude, and strengths. But this also includes collective well-being and concepts like trust and cooperation, helping and kindness, laughter and play. Further understanding of these concepts is a key component for both individual well-being and social well-being, as individual and social well-being go hand in hand. The module will cover various applications, in our personal lives and in our professional lives - in management, education, health, and design. In presenting the science of social connection and possible applications. The goal of this module is that you will leave with an enriched understanding of the positive side of human social behaviour, the potential it holds, and the potential each of us has to change it for the better.

• Cognitive Neuroscience of Well-being

  You will be introduced to a range of methods commonly used in cognitive neuroscience in the understanding of wellbeing. You will learn about and reflect on different quality measures and their relevance for the study of wellbeing. You will discuss the development of utility assessment and cognitive and neuroscience perspectives as approaches for understanding and validating utility in an objective manner. You will be introduced to the contribution of cognitive and neuroscience perspectives to a range of wellbeing concepts and contexts. These will include: mechanisms of conventional antidepressants; mechanisms of mindfulness-oriented interventions like meditation; These will include: mechanisms of conventional antidepressants; mechanisms of mindfulness-oriented interventions like meditation; creativity, resilience, and humour. You will also evaluate a range of cognitive enhancement methods. This module will enable you to evaluate the value of cognitive neuroscience findings in the context of wellbeing, based on construct validity, methodological considerations, and application range. You will learn to critically evaluate and use cognitive neuroscience in the context of your everyday life and environment. It will also equip you with knowledge necessary for further postgraduate study.

• Positive Education

  The aim of the module is to expand your horizons with regard to the range of existing and potential applications of positive psychology to educational, parenting and community contexts. The 2022 Report Card from UNICEF summarises evidence from 41 OECD and EU countries indicating a continuing concern about children’s mental health and wellbeing, relationships and skills for life as well as serious inequalities. Positive education brings the findings of positive psychology and education together, with the aim of providing you with psychological knowledge and skills that can help you to live a life of flourishing and become more resilient by coping with problems in productive ways. This aim is often implemented by means of specific positive psychology curricula (well-being, resilience, emotional literacy, etc) that have been developed and implemented at schools in various countries, including but not limited to the USA, Australia, South Africa, Finland, Canada and the UK. Factors that contribute to the effectiveness of these curricula at different levels of the educational system will be explored and critiqued. This module also explores the context and culture of schools, including leadership, teacher wellbeing and liaison with families. You will become familiar with eco-systemic models. Positive psychology as applied to parenting will also be addressed Finally, the module will help you develop practical skills of teaching well- being and resilience to children and young people as well what is involved in becoming an agent of change for positive education.

• Positive Society

  What is the role of positive psychology in creating a positive society? This module examines what positive psychology and related disciplines can bring to the table in fostering a more positive society. Some fundamental questions addressed include: What constitutes a positive society? How can we promote social well-being while also promoting individual well-being? What role should government, business, and individual citizens have in shaping a more positive society? Can businesses work for social good? Taking a multidisciplinary approach, you will examine how the brain and behavioural sciences can contribute to designing public policy, as well as the particular challenges - and potential - positive psychologists have in becoming social change agents. We evaluate how cultural assumptions about human nature influence behaviour, public policy, and processes of change. We look at how the mind works, and how our cognitive biases and moral intuitions can influence the policies we choose to put in place. Various indices of societal well-being are presented, moving beyond GDP and exploring more recent initiatives that take environmental and social good into account. You will examine new initiatives in positive economics, including social entrepreneurship, and the impact popular culture and the media have on creating a positive society and social change.