What is Positive Psychology?
Positive Psychology in Therapy
With a reliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) to assess and treat mental health symptoms, therapists using traditional branches of psychology have focused on mental illness and psychopathology. However, a recent addition has been positive psychology, which takes a positive approach rather than focusing on negative aspects of a client’s situation.
Traditional mental health therapeutic approaches ask, “What’s wrong with people?” On the other hand, mental health professionals using positive psychology ask, “What’s right with people?” Positive psychology focuses on helping people build a life filled with meaning, hope, and resilience. It is about assisting people in meeting their needs and moving from surviving and managing symptoms to flourishing.
Positive Psychology Perspective
Positive psychology asks:
- How can people live a good life?
- How can people improve their lives?
- How can people transcend their problems?
- How can people harness hope to live more positively?
- How can people find joy in their lives?
- How can people capitalize on their strengths rather than trying to “fix” their weaknesses?
How Positive Psychology Works
To help people who are sad, anxious, and stressed, traditional psychologists have gained a better understanding of well-being and have developed effective treatments for many psychological problems. The problem with this approach is that it primarily focuses on the negative aspects of health and well-being. This approach attempts to “cure” or “fix” people rather than focusing on enhancing the positives in life. On the other hand, positive psychology practitioners focus on helping people discover and explore their strengths, potentials, and talents to engender hope and joy and promote positive functioning.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
CBT in Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, evidence-based treatment for mental health issues that helps people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve emotional well-being and functioning.
CBT is based on the notion that how people think (cognition) determines how they feel (emotion) and how they act (behavior). The workbooks help participants explore their thinking and subsequent feelings and behaviors. In CBT, negative and unrealistic thinking can cause stress and result in everyday issues. When a person suffers from psychological distress, how they interpret situations becomes skewed, negatively affecting their actions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aims to help people become aware of negative interpretations and behavioral patterns that reinforce distorted thinking. Cognitive therapy helps people develop alternative ways of thinking and behaving to reduce their psychological distress.
CBT Overview
CBT is a short-term, solution-focused therapy emphasizing the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT is grounded in the notion that psychological problems are partly caused by distorted thinking and learned patterns of unhelpful behavior, and that individuals can learn more effective coping strategies to relieve symptoms and improve their lives. Unlike some therapies that focus on past experiences, CBT primarily addresses current life challenges and practical solutions.
CBT Core Principles
Therapists using CBT often use the following strategies:
Cognitive Restructuring: Identifying and challenging distorted and negative thinking patterns and then replacing them with more realistic, helpful thoughts.
Behavioral Tools & Techniques: Encouraging adaptive behaviors, such as facing fears of change, role-playing social interactions, and practicing relaxation techniques.
Skill Development: Teaching problem-solving skills, learning and practicing coping strategies, and self-monitoring to empower people to manage their own mental health.
Collaborative Approach: Therapist and clients work together to set goals, create a treatment plan, develop strategies, and track progress, often including homework exercises outside sessions.