Introducing Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Collie W. Conoley ◽  
Michael J. Scheel
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Therapeutic Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory ◽  
Client Strengths

This chapter provides an overview of the philosophy and foundational premises of Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy. Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy is described as a comprehensive psychotherapy model built primarily upon positive psychology principles to optimize well-being, which diminishes the effects of psychological distress. The theory of change is the Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions. The therapeutic process promotes client strengths, hope, and positive emotions in order to assist the client in attaining goals, making growth toward goals in psychotherapy and life more enjoyable. Issues of ethics, psychological metaphor, therapeutic alliance, client context, and a case example of a client with posttraumatic stress disorder are presented.

Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collie W. Conoley ◽  
Michael J. Scheel
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Model Case ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory

Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy presents the first comprehensive positive psychology psychotherapy model that optimizes well-being and thereby diminishes psychological distress. The theory of change is the Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions. The therapeutic process promotes client strengths, hope, positive emotions, and goals. The book provides the foundational premises, empirical support, theory, therapeutic techniques and interventions, a training model, case examples, and future directions. A three-year study is presented that reveals that Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy (GFPP) was as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy and short-term psychodynamic therapies, which fits the meta-analyses of therapy outcome studies that no bona fide psychotherapy achieves superior outcome. However, GFPP was significantly more attractive to the clients. Descriptions are provided of the Broaden-and-Build Theory, therapy goals based upon clients’ values and personal meaning (i.e., approach goals and intrinsic goals), identification and use of clients’ personal strengths (including client culture), centrality of hope and hope theory, the implicit theory of personal change or the growth mindset, and finally Self-Determination Theory. The techniques and interventions of GFPP as well as the importance of the therapist’s intentions during therapy are presented. GFPP focuses upon the client and relationship while not viewing psychotherapy as a set of potent scripted treatments that acts upon the client. Goal Focused Positive Supervision is presented as a new model that supports the supervisee’s strength-based self-definition rather than a pathological one or deficit orientation. Training that includes the experiential learning of GFPP principles is underscored.

Loving-Kindness Meditation and the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions Among Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Medical Care ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. S32-S38 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Kearney ◽  
Carolyn McManus ◽  
Carol A. Malte ◽  
Michelle E. Martinez ◽  
Benjamin Felleman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory

The Foundational Constructs of Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy

2017 ◽  
pp. 20-40
Author(s):  
Collie W. Conoley ◽  
Michael J. Scheel
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Change Mechanism ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory ◽  
Approach Goals ◽  
Client Values

Chapter 2 presents the theory behind Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy (GFPP), a technique that facilitates clients’ thriving by creating a happier, meaningful life. Psychotherapy can help clients to enjoy a lifetime of well-being and growth toward their meaningful, virtuous goals through positive emotions. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions serves as the change mechanism for GFPP. It is important to select goals for therapy based upon client values and personal meaning (approach goals and intrinsic goals). Using clients’ personal strengths (including their culture) is of central importance, as is the promotion of hope in usually demoralized clients. The implicit theory of personal change or the growth mindset includes the belief in neural or brain plasticity. Self Determination Theory sets out competence, relatedness, and autonomy as the three determinants of motivation and the fundamental psychological needs.

Positive Emotions

2009 ◽  
pp. 12-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Cohn ◽  
Barbara L. Fredrickson
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
Very High ◽  
Future Growth

Positive emotions include pleasant or desirable situational responses, ranging from interest and contentment to love and joy, but are distinct from pleasurable sensation and undifferentiated positive affect. These emotions are markers of people's overall well-being or happiness, but they also enhance future growth and success. This has been demonstrated in work, school, relationships, mental and physical health, and longevity. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that all positive emotions lead to broadened repertoires of thoughts and actions and that broadening helps build resources that contribute to future success. Unlike negative emotions, which are adapted to provide a rapid response to a focal threat, positive emotions occur in safe or controllable situations and lead more diffusely to seeking new resources or consolidating gains. These resources outlast the temporary emotional state and contribute to later success and survival. This chapter discusses the nature of positive emotions both as evolutionary adaptations to build resources and as appraisals of a situation as desirable or rich in resources. We discuss the methodological challenges of evoking positive emotions for study both in the lab and in the field and issues in observing both short-term (“broaden”) and long-term (“build”) effects. We then review the evidence that positive emotions broaden perception, attention, motivation, reasoning, and social cognition and ways in which these may be linked to positive emotions' effects on important life outcomes. We also discuss and contextualize evidence that positive emotions may be detrimental at very high levels or in certain situations. We close by discussing ways in which positive emotions theory can be harnessed by both basic and applied positive psychology research.

scholarly journals Immersion and distancing across the therapeutic process: relationship to symptoms and emotional arousal

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice Barbosa ◽  
Maria Amendoeira ◽  
Tiago Ferreira ◽  
Ana Sofia Teixeira ◽  
José Pinto-Gouveia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Process ◽  
Emotional Arousal ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Problem ◽  
Therapeutic Change ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Outcome Questionnaire ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to clarify the roles of immersion and distancing (that is, reflection on an experience from an egocentric point of view or as an observer, respectively) on therapeutic change analyzing i) the evolution of these two perspectives across the resolution of a clinical problem, and ii) the relationship between immersion/distancing with symptoms and emotional arousal. We extracted all the passages of speech pertaining to the most relevant clinical problem of a good outcome case of depression undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy. We assessed the distancing/immersion of these extracts using the Measure of Immersed and Distanced Speech, and emotional arousal with the Client Emotional Arousal Scale-III. The symptoms were assessed from the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Outcome Questionnaire-10.2. Immersion was associated with symptoms and negative emotions, while distancing was associated with clinical well being and positive emotions. Immersion was still dominant when depressive symptoms were below the clinical threshold. Clinical change was associated with a decrease in immersion and an increase in distancing. The dominance of immersion does not necessarily indicate a bad outcome.

scholarly journals The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1449) ◽  
pp. 1367-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Fredrickson
Keyword(s):  
Close Relationships ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Broaden And Build Theory ◽  
And Function ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Action Tendencies

The broaden–and–build theory describes the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment and love. A key proposition is that these positive emotions broaden an individual's momentary thought–action repertoire: joy sparks the urge to play, interest sparks the urge to explore, contentment sparks the urge to savour and integrate, and love sparks a recurring cycle of each of these urges within safe, close relationships. The broadened mindsets arising from these positive emotions are contrasted to the narrowed mindsets sparked by many negative emotions (i.e. specific action tendencies, such as attack or flee). A second key proposition concerns the consequences of these broadened mindsets: by broadening an individual's momentary thought–action repertoire—whether through play, exploration or similar activities—positive emotions promote discovery of novel and creative actions, ideas and social bonds, which in turn build that individual's personal resources; ranging from physical and intellectual resources, to social and psychological resources. Importantly, these resources function as reserves that can be drawn on later to improve the odds of successful coping and survival. This chapter reviews the latest empirical evidence supporting the broaden–and–build theory and draws out implications the theory holds for optimizing health and well–being.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use: Identifying the underlying role of difficulties regulating positive emotions

2019 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole H. Weiss ◽  
Melissa R. Schick ◽  
Ateka A. Contractor ◽  
Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Stress Disorder

War and Well-Being: The Association between Forgiveness, Social Support, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Well-Being during and after War

Social Work ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Weinberg ◽  
Hila Harel ◽  
Michal Shamani ◽  
Keren Or-Chen ◽  
Pnina Ron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Well Being
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