New coaching program
I am happy to announce that I will be modifying my coaching programs just for you.
My new offerings will include short courses and workshops in Positive Psychology.
Traditional techniques depend on therapy in a medical sense of the word, but therapy is probably not the word we want to use at all. The assumption is that there is something wrong with you that needs to be fixed. Illness is not the opposite of wellness, and there is a lot more to our lives than this either or approach to life fulfillment. As we will see, many who are feeling unfulfilled are not unwell, and because we are unhappy with any one area of our lives is no reason to run off to see a shrink.
Much of what we are missing is simply a matter of imbalance, and most of this imbalance is a result of not fully understanding what drives us, or more clearly defining what it is we really want for our lives and how to achieve it.
Positive Psychology
My new approach will be centered on Positive Psychology. When we hear the expression, we automatically assume we know exactly what it means. Just think positive thoughts, and everything will be fine, right?
There's much more to Positive Psychology than that.
Recently, I had the great fortune of completing the Positive Psychology Specialization program offered by Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, also known as the father of Positive Psychology. I found this program to be one of the most inspirational experiences of my life, and it will surely be the guiding approach for all of my coaching offerings in the future.
I will be sticking as closely to Dr. Seligman's teaching as possible in order to make sure you get the full picture of how Positive Psychology can and will work for you.
According to Dr. Seligman, traditional approaches to mental health tend to dwell on mental illness, and the over-thumbed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) comprises over 900 pages of variations on the theme. As we know, or can imagine, there has been a precise name applied to almost every negative thought or behavioral tendency that a human being can experience. I won't dwell on it here, but it seems there has been a pill developed for each of these as well.
Dr. Seligman dares to ask, "What is RIGHT with us?" Surely, we must have some things going on in our lives that we like. Some of these might not be as helpful as we would like them to be in achieving our goals, or making us happy, but that doesn't mean we are unwell or mentally-ill either, right?
Exploring happiness
- And, speaking of Happiness, what is it?
- What makes us happy?
- Indeed, what makes us unhappy?
- Do we really know?
- Can we find out?
- Is there anything we can do about it?
Obviously, there is more to happiness than having a smile on our faces. There is also more to happiness than the fleeting moments when we think we are having a good time. I don't doubt for a moment that you would like to know the answers to these questions, and the answers may very well surprise you when you find out how much of your happiness is under your control.
On that note, just because you are not exactly happy doesn't mean you are unwell, either. Certainly you're not mentally-ill, and you are probably not ready to seek a psychologist or psychiatrist for the answers to your ruminations.
Finding out what works best for you
Today, many have chosen to take an holistic approach to dealing with the challenges of finding ways to make their lives enjoyable. They are finding that lifestyle changes, exercise, travel, meditation and several other approaches are having noticeable positive effects on their lives. Even the medical community is beginning to agree that people will benefit from preventative or pro-active evidence-based approaches to their own health-care, especially in these time of rising costs for doctor visits and hospital stays. There are some who need medical care, and there are many who do not. I'll venture to say that most don't.
Fortunately, Positive Psychology can be integrated very well with my usual core approaches, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness training, and Hypnotherapy. I look forward to sharing more on this blended approach with you in individual and group coaching programs that I will be releasing shortly through my LifeCoachHub shop. So, if you have been considering a traditonal coaching program for whatever reason, you might want to stop and join us for what I can assure you will be a life-changing event.
Whatever your life goals are, or whatever you are seeking in your life, your career, your relationships, or whatever, you will benefit from the appreciation for Positive Psychology you will learn by reading the coming articles. Also, to make sure you get the full picture, you are invited to sign up from the group programs I will be offering for a more immersive approach to changing your life in the shortest amount of time possible.
I look forward to working with you soon.
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