The applications of positive psychology are different from traditional
interventions in therapy in that they are focused on building strength,
resilience and well-being rather than being restricted to simply
treating disorder. Since the publication of the first edition of
Positive Therapy, there is now a comprehensive body of applied
positive psychology research to which practitioners may turn in order to
inform their own practice, and that sees its purpose as the facilitation
of human flourishing and optimal functioning.
However, much of this research and its implications are only now
becoming more widely understood in counselling and psychotherapy. This
new and expanded edition of Positive Therapy shows how the latest
thinking in positive psychology can be applied to psychotherapeutic
practice, and specifically to person-centred therapy. Making the links
between positive psychology and psychotherapy explicit, Stephen
Joseph describes the new tools that practitioners can draw upon to
help and facilitate positive functioning in their clients. New material
includes:
An update of the latest positive psychology research
A new preface, explaining how positive psychology principles can now
be applied to therapeutic practice
Focus on positive psychology measurement tools
Positive Therapy will be essential reading for all psychotherapists,
counsellors, social workers, coaches, psychologists and trainees
interested in exploring how they engage with clients, and the
implications of this engagement in practice.
