What Works and What Doesn’t

Jonah Paquette

While the field of positive psychology emphasizes building on clients’ internal strengths rather than their “pathology,” many therapists remain unsure of how to put its emphasis on gratitude and optimism to practical use in the consulting room. In addition, they often don’t know how to present positive psychology to clients in ways that are most likely to engage them. In this workshop, you’ll discover how to:

• Apply the seven key principles for increasing well-being: gratitude, compassion, optimism, mindfulness, self-compassion, connection, and forgiveness
• Recognize and assess common barriers to happiness
• Identify strategies for fighting clients’ negativity bias, including savoring positive experiences and cultivating strengths
• Practice specific exercises for encouraging forgiveness, gratitude, and compassion, with a particular focus on their applications with clinical populations

Jonah Paquette, PsyD, works for Kaiser Permanente in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he conducts group and individual psychotherapy and runs a postdoctoral residency program. He’s the author of Real Happiness: Proven Paths for Contentment, Peace, and Well-Being.