Positive Psychology Continuing Education (CE) Course Newly Updated at HealthForumOnline
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) June 14, 2016 -- HealthForumOnline (HFO), a nationally-approved (APA, ASWB, NBCC) provider of online continuing education (CE) for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other allied healthcare professionals announces recent updates to its online CE course, Positive Psychology: The Evidence Behind Don't Worry, Be Happy, to their extensive online CE resource library.
The world-renowned psychologist and researcher Dr. Martin Seligman, considered to be the father of positive psychology (1, 2), said, "… If all you do is work to fix problems…then by definition you are working to get people to zero…why not try to get them to plus-two, or plus-three?"
Positive psychology, a rapidly growing subfield, addresses important questions about how we lead our lives, find happiness and satisfaction, as well as deal with life's challenges to not only survive, but thrive in the face of adversity. Over the past decade, researchers and practitioners have explored happiness and well-being across contexts, such as within the marital relationship, in response to chronic illness, etc. Collectively, results suggest promising therapeutic applications for ‘strength-based’ models (e.g., 3,4). Several strategies grounded in positive psychology are associated with an increased ability to be more positive and joyful in life and appear to offer more than momentary relief from depression, anxiety, and stress, with significant long-term and health-related benefits (e.g., 5-8).
Course author Daniel J. Tomasulo, Ph.D., TEP, MFA is a practicing psychologist, psychodrama trainer and Faculty at New Jersey City University. A member of the Ask the Therapist team on Psychcentral.com and author of their weekly blog on positive psychology, Proof Positive, Dr. Tomasulo notes that, “Staying current with emerging literature in the field of positive psychology gives psychologists, counselors and social workers a clinical edge.”
His newly updated online CE course from HFO presents the history and development of positive psychology and its common constructs (e.g. hope and resilience), as well as the seminal findings on the benefits of positive emotions (e.g., post-traumatic growth), and the role happiness plays in life’s successes. Emerging data is presented to support several valuable practices and concrete tools to use throughout life, both personally and professionally. Understanding these practices and tools experientially will enrich the assessment of “positivity” as well as the instruction in and the dissemination of skills to patients in one’s clinical work by enhancing one’s ability to understand their own dynamics with respect to positive growth and their ability to promote well-being.
About HealthForumOnline:
Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and allied health professionals can chose from HFO’s 20 categories of CE topics related to health psychology and behavioral medicine containing over 105 online CE courses that are fast, convenient and cost-effective. For more information or a complete listing of titles, visit HealthForumOnline.com.
1. Seligman. M.E.P. (2003). Authentic Happiness. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
2. Seligman, M.E.P. (2006). Learned Optimism. New York: Vintage. (Original work published 1990).
3. Allan, B.A., & Duffy, R.D. (2013). Examining moderators of signature strengths use and well-being: Calling and signature strengths level. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(2), 323-337.
4. Gander, F., et al. (2012). Strength-based positive interventions: Further evidence for their potential in enhancing well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(4), 1241-1259.
5. Drozd, F., et al. (2014). Better days – A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention. Journal of Positive Psychology. 9(5), 377-388.
6. Lambert, N.M., et al. (2012). Gratitude and depressive symptoms: The role of positive reframing and positive emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 26(4), 615–33.
7. Lavy, S., et al. (2014). Strengths deployment as a mood-repair mechanism: Evidence from a diary study with a relationship exercise group. Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(6), 547-558.
8. Zhang, M.F., et al. (2015). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy for reducing anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A meta-analysis.
Medicine. 94(45): e0897-0.
Michelle Rodoletz, Ph.D., HealthForumOnline, http://www.healthforumonline.com, +1 (215) 887-6669, [email protected]
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