Positive Psychology: Building Happiness and Flourishing

Most of us would like to feel happier and more fulfilled.

Our Positive Psychology training course provides evidence-based techniques to build happiness and be engaged in life. You will develop strategies to find meaning and purpose, enjoy better personal and professional relationships and achieve more.

This self-improvement course is intended to be practical as well as theoretical. It requires a high degree of self-reflection to explore your own happiness and well being.

Who is it for?

This course is open to anyone with an interest in happiness, mindfulness and well being. You may have an interest in psychology, psychotherapy or philosophy; or you may simply strive for happiness in your own life and for those around you.

Timetable

The Positive Psychology: Building Happiness and Flourishing short course takes place once a week at 18.30 for 10 weeks running in the autumn term (Oct - Dec) only.

Benefits

• Delivered by a professional life coach and psychotherapist, this course follows industry approved and evidence-based principles
• Taught in small groups
• Awarded a City, University of London certificate

Across 10 weekly evening sessions, you will learn techniques to realise your full potential and assess your individual experiences within the context of positive psychology.

Week one: introduction & Flourishing

• Introduce the main themes of the course
• What is positive psychology? What do we mean by flourishing? What is happiness?
• Martin Seligman’s PERMA model of flourishing
• Set meaningful goals we will work to achieve by the end of the course.

Week two: values and values clarification

• How to identify your values
• Reflecting on your values

Week three: accomplishment and achievement

• Theories of becoming an expert
• Developing a growth mindset
• SMART goals
• A framework to achieving your goals.

Week four: flow & strengths

• Psychology of flow – being “in the zone” and fully engaged in what you are doing
• Psychology of strengths – identifying and using
• Connection between flow and using your strengths.

Week five: happiness and positive emotions

• Psychology of happiness and positive emotions, including Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory
• Attempts to answer “what makes people happier?”
• Empirically-supported interventions to happiness

Week six: meaning and purpose

• Psychology of meaning and purpose (Viktor Frankl, Martin Seligman; and the psychology of kindness).

Week seven: positive relationships

• Psychology of positive relationships – including romantic relationships and friendships and working relationship, drawing on the theories of Sternberg & Gottman.

Week eight: Mindfulness and ACT

• Mindfulness – evidence and experience
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – an evidence-based third wave therapy

Week nine: Resilience

• Overcoming adversities (drawing on evidence-based techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which may include problem solving and cognitive restructuring.

Week ten: Conclusions

• Drawing together threads from the course and discuss next steps
• Opportunity to do a short presentation relating to achieving the meaningful goal they set themselves to achieve earlier in the course.

Note: This is indicative of likely content and is subject to change.

Achieve Your Potential with Positive Psychology by Tim LeBon (Course Reader) should be purchased in advance of the course.

You will be set weekly reading assignments, which will be drawn upon and discussed in class. Practical exercises will set between classes and are essential to aid self-development and understanding. You also have the option of giving a short presentation in class.

While there is no official assessment, you will gain most from the course through commitment to reading homework and participation in class.

The short courses at City are not accredited, but you will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate if you attend at least 70 percent of the classes.

We do not ask for any formal qualifications to enrol on this short course and no prior knowledge is required.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.