Counseling Psychology's Positive Psychological Agenda: A Model for Integration and Inspiration

Abstract

Each of the Major Contribution's articles has traced counseling psychology's rich positive heritage. This reaction assesses this heritage in relation to positive psychology and considers the fundamental question of “To whose agenda are we working?” as psychological practitioners, locating the answer within the impact it has on our practice. The reaction then raises some questions prompted in part by counseling psychology's heritage of strength-based approaches and in part by the positive psychological initiative for developing a classification of strengths and virtues. It suggests that a deeper and fuller understanding of a strengths psychology is a key foundation for effective strength-based practice and calls for closer collaboration among counseling psychology, vocational psychology, and positive psychology in bringing to fruition a psychology of strengths and optimal human functioning.