Positive Psychology Course

For decades, psychology focused on relieving suffering: anxiety, depression and trauma. That work matters enormously, but it is only half the story. Removing what hurts us does not automatically create a flourishing life, just as pulling weeds does not, by itself, make a garden.

Positive psychology is the science of the other half: What helps people flourish? How do we build optimism, meaning and healthy relationships? And how can we turn this knowledge into everyday skills that anyone can learn?

This course takes you on an engaging journey through real stories, remarkable scientific experiments and applications from schools and communities around the world, with practical exercises you apply between sessions and feel in your daily life.

Who Is This Course For?

1. Anyone who wants a more satisfying, meaningful and balanced life.
2. Teachers, educators and parents who want to build strengths in children and young people.
3. Trainers, coaches, counselors and HR / development professionals.
4. Managers and team leaders seeking a more energizing, positive workplace.
5. Anyone interested in psychology and personal growth grounded in science, not quick-fix promises.
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What You Will Learn

1. A new perspective: the difference between treating illness and building mental health, and why our minds lean toward the negative.
2. Optimism is a skill: how to move from learned helplessness to learned optimism, and how to dispute catastrophic thoughts.
3. The PERMA model: the five pillars of a flourishing life: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment.
4. Well-being can be learned: how well-being skills are taught in schools, communities and entire countries, and what the results show.
5. Mind and body: how optimism and cheerfulness relate to heart health and immunity, and how creativity can grow with age.
6. Character strengths: how to identify your top five character strengths and design your life around them.
7. Relationships and giving: Active Constructive Responding to strengthen your relationships, and the lasting impact of kindness.

Course Modules

Module 1: Introduction to Positive Psychology

How the field was born and why it took so long. Our "ice-age brain" and its negativity bias, the story of learned helplessness that led to learned optimism, and the PERMA model of flourishing.

Module 2: The Skills of Well-being Can Be Learned, Taught and Transformative

What positive interventions are and how to tell real from bogus. Prevention programs for children, positive education in schools, and successful initiatives across whole cities and nations.

Module 3: Being Whole: Mind-Body Flourishing Throughout Life

Are we shaped by the past or drawn by the future? The link between optimism and physical health, the secrets of lifelong creativity, and discovering your character strengths.

Module 4: Future Directions in Positive Psychology

From individual well-being to global well-being: constructive journalism, spirituality and well-being, measuring community well-being through big data, and the power of giving.

Practical Exercises You Will Apply

1. Three Good Things: each night, note what went well and why.
2. Dispute your thoughts: catch the thought, check the evidence, find another explanation.
3. Active Constructive Responding: celebrate others’ good news in a way that deepens the relationship.
4. Use your strengths: redesign tasks you dislike using your greatest strength.
5. Giving: discover why the effect of kindness outlasts pleasure.

Why This Course?

1. Content grounded in real scientific research, not quick promises.
2. A clear, accessible style with examples close to everyday life.
3. Focused on practice: you leave with a toolbox of five exercises for life.
4. A safe, interactive environment that respects every participant’s experience and beliefs.