A great coach doesn’t give answers. Instead, they ask powerful questions to unlock and surface a better way forward for their clients. But what should you ask as a coach to get better outcomes, help others deal with challenges, and grow? The ‘right’ questions will always vary depending on your […]
Coaching skills are highly transferrable and exceedingly valuable. And they are also very trainable. With conscious effort, anyone can enhance their ability to communicate better, listen more attentively, or motivate others to grow – whether that’s as an individual or as an employee. But what skills should we focus our […]
No matter who you are, where you are in life, or where you want to be, most of us will admit to wanting to be better in some domain. Whether that’s personally or professionally, within our close relationships, or generally cultivating a better sense of purpose in everything we do. […]
For many young people in today’s modern world, the list of demands they find themselves dealing with is endless. From studies at school to managing expectations of their teachers, parents, and friends, to social skills and succeeding with their hobbies, their health, personal development and simply making sense of the […]
Life coaching and mentoring are booming fields. They are popular professions worldwide and show no signs of decreasing. Certification programs abound, but as you will read, this is an unregulated field. Certification is not required. Testing and licensing do not exist. Unlike people trained as psychologists or counselors who are […]
As with many practices carried out today, the origins of coaching as we know it has roots stretching back over millennia in ancient Greece. Providing some of humanity’s earliest recorded forays into the world of coaching and coaching theory, the renowned ancient Greek philosopher Socrates methodically asked questions and engaged […]
What would your life look like if you were to fully and completely accept and value yourself with all your perceived weaknesses and shortcomings? As a coach or mentor, which tools do you use to support your clients on their path to Self-Acceptance? I believe most of us have the […]
There is nothing more practical than a good theory. And this was never more true than in the case of positive psychology and its many applications. Chris Peterson defined positive psychology as “the scientific study of what goes right in life” and what makes “life most worth living” (2006, p.4). […]
For many years, the prime focus of psychology was to diagnose and treat people with mental health problems and psychopathological issues. In 1998, pioneers Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi popularized the concept of positive psychology, an offshoot of clinical psychology that shifted the focus of interventions from problems […]
Have you ever been completely and utterly immersed in a task? Oblivious to the outside world, focused only on your own progress and what’s going on right here and now? Maybe you’ve been doing something you love, like playing music or a certain sport, before realizing that time has totally […]
We are very happy and proud to announce the release of the toolkit's 200th tool (download it here). To celebrate we are giving this Goal Visualization tool away for free! Recently we sat down with PositivePsychology.com's newest team member, Lucinda Poole and talked about the Positive Psychology Toolkit, the creation […]
We all have anxiety from time to time. When our days are marked by worry, nervousness, and fear, it is not our fault. We are actually quite good at developing tools to handle occasional anxiety. If you find yourself facing anxiety that interferes with your daily life, professional help is […]
The idea of client-centered therapy might seem redundant – after all, when is therapy not centered on the client? This term seems redundant now, but when it was first developed, it was a novel idea. Before the humanistic therapies were introduced in the 1950s, the only real forms of therapy […]
If you want to become a therapist but are not sure where to start, you have come to the right place. While there are several different types of therapists, psychologists, and counselors (distinctions which we will address in this article), the path to each profession is similar. Every one of […]
What good is life coaching? Why do I need someone to tell me how to live my life? Am I not capable of being my best self on my own? These are questions that many people ask themselves, which makes sense given the overall misunderstanding of what life coaching entails, […]
No one is safe… … except maybe positive psychology practitioners... Forged in a world of cutting-edge research, new and more effective therapies coming out, and a science that is constantly correcting itself, positive psychology has the unique luxury of endurance in the job market. Maybe you’re looking for a new […]
If you’ve ever asked yourself how positive psychology and life coaching differ, you’re definitely not alone. Brief definitions don’t distinguish between these two very different approaches towards well-being. What is even more surprising than their marked differences is how powerful positive psychology and life coaching are when used together. In […]
When it comes to the top management in organizations, skepticism towards strengths-based leadership approaches is still common. How can we encourage top hot shots to talk about their strengths, show appreciation, and create an environment where employees can truly flourish? In this article, professional coach Silvia Schmuckli takes us through […]
