Positive Clinical Psychology Research Articles

Facilitating the coping and development of college students with mental disorders: a positive clinical psychology approach.

In serving college students with mental disorders, on-campus mental health professionals have been lacking integrative theoretical frameworks to guide their missions of prevention, remedy, and development facilitation. In the current paper, we propose the positive clinical psychology as a theoretically and practically valuable framework for these missions by narratively reviewing the preventive, remedial, and developmental mechanisms derived from the theory and summarizing the most recent empirical evidence that supports each mechanism. We further discuss why and how these mechanisms and findings can be applied to on-campus mental health services to facilitate the resilience and optimal development of college students with mental disorders. Particularly, the use of resilience-focused and strength-based intervention strategies are promoted for services.

Role of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Existing and Upcoming Interventions for Mental Health Professionals: A Literature Review

ABSTRACT Mental health professionals face several difficulties, particularly in the form of burnout and compassion fatigue (CF). The rate of burnout and CF is on the rise with changing times. Providing mental health services while being burnout or going through CF can be challenging. Therefore, there is a need to explore existing interventions for mental health professionals. This article aims to explore burnout and CF in relation to existing interventions for mental health professionals and highlight implications for further interventions. Recently, mindfulness interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindfulness self-compassion training, and interpersonal mindfulness program have been studied as a potential intervention for mental health professionals. Another recent intervention called as compassion-focused therapy is on the rise, and the article will research its efficacy in use with mental health professionals. The present article has implications in the field of positive psychology, clinical psychology, and health psychology.

An Integrative Perspective on Understanding Human Functioning: Positive Clinical Psychology

The number of studies conducted with a holistic perspective as an alternative to the traditional clinical psychology approach has increased. It is noteworthy that studies examine the effects of positive concepts on human health in addition to discomfort. In this study, it was aimed to examine four concepts that are frequently researched in positive psychology, namely well-being, psychological resilience, hope and coping in an integrative context. Also, it was aimed to give information about the positive clinical psychology approach and the studies which investigate these four positive concepts. Studies were searched through PsycARTICLE, EBSCO and Pubmed electronic databases. Totally 208 studies were reached and 26 articles were included in this review article. As a result, the effective results in treatment of psychological disorders and increase of well-being of an individual with positive psychology interventions suggest that it is important to expand the positive perspective in clinical psychology. It is thought that it may be clinically important that the presence/increase of positive concepts as well as the absence/decrease of psychopathologies should be one of the treatment targets of mental health specialists. It is hoped that adopting an integrative perspective in future studies will enrich empirical research in the field of psychotherapy.

The Model for Sustainable Mental Health: Future Directions for Integrating Positive Psychology Into Mental Health Care.

This position paper proposes a model for systematic integration of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in mental healthcare. On the one hand, PPIs can contribute to the decrease of dysfunctional processes underlying mental illness. This evidence is at the core of the new domains of positive clinical psychology and positive psychiatry. On the other hand, a growing number of studies demonstrate that mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness. Mental wellbeing represents a related but separate dimension of mental health. Mental wellbeing reduces the risk of future incidence of mental illness and is highly valued by people receiving psychological treatment as an important aspect of personal and complete recovery and personal growth. This makes mental wellbeing a vital outcome of mental healthcare. PPIs can directly increase mental wellbeing. The model of sustainable mental health is presented integrating the science of positive psychology and mental wellbeing into mental healthcare. This heuristic model can guide both practitioners and researchers in developing, implementing, and evaluating a more balanced, both complaint- and strength-oriented, treatment approach. The role of gratitude interventions is discussed as an example of applying the model. Also, three potential modalities for implementing PPIs as positive psychotherapy in treatment are as: positive psychotherapy as primary treatment, as combinatorial treatment, and as intervention for personal recovery of people with severe or persistent mental disorder. Finally, we argue that longitudinal studies are needed to substantiate the model and the processes involved.

The Longitudinal Stability and Predictive Capability of Positive and Negative Self-Schemas in a Multi-Informant Study of Child and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction

Research has established that negative self-schemas are potent risk factors for depressive symptoms among children and adolescents. However, few studies have examined whether positive self-schemas provide unique information about children and adolescents’ depressive symptoms and their well-being. Further, examining the stability of cognitive content during this developmental transition is also relevant. Informed by positive (clinical) psychology and cognitive-developmental frameworks, this study examined a) the longitudinal stability of children and adolescents’ self-schemas and b) the prospective associations of positive and negative self-schemas to children and adolescents’ depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in a community sample of 139 children and adolescents (Mage = 11.20, SD = 1.21) and their parent/guardian. Results provided preliminary evidence that negative and positive self-schemas exhibit stability over time. Positive self-schemas also predicted unique variance in children and adolescents’ depressive symptoms, above and beyond negative self-schemas. Only negative self-schemas were uniquely associated with children and adolescents’ life satisfaction over time. These results suggest there may be utility in incorporating positive self-schemas into models of child and adolescent depression. As well, these results may provide important information regarding appropriate timing for the prevention of child and adolescent depression and bolstering of well-being.

Rational beliefs, happiness and optimism: An empirical assessment of REBT's model of psychological health.

This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Specifically, this study sought to investigate if rational beliefs were associated with happiness and optimism. A multinational sample of 397 university students completed self-report measures of rational beliefs, happiness and optimism. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in order to test the validity of the REBT model of psychological health. The result of the SEM analysis provided empirical support for REBT's psychological health model of happiness and optimism. The model as a whole explained 33% of variance in levels of happiness and 40% of variance in levels of optimism. Self-acceptance beliefs were positively and directly associated with happiness and optimism. Preference beliefs were positively and indirectly associated with happiness and optimism via self-acceptance beliefs. REBT may offer a viable psychotherapeutic method to not only alleviate psychological distress, but also build positive emotion. Current findings may help to bridge the divide between the fields of positive psychology and clinical psychology.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale measures a continuum from well-being to depression: Testing two key predictions of positive clinical psychology

BackgroundTwo core but untested predictions of Positive Clinical Psychology (PCP) are that (1) Many psychiatric problems can be understood as one end of bipolar continua with well-being, and (2) that reducing psychiatric symptoms will provide an equal (near linear) decrease in risk for several other psychiatric variables, irrespective of position on continua. AimsWe test these predictions in relation to a purported well-being/depression continuum, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D), a popular measure of depressive experiences in research and clinical practice. MethodA large (N=4138), diverse sample completed the CES-D, which contains a mixture of negatively worded and positively worded items (e.g., “I felt sad,” “I enjoyed life”). The latter are conventionally reverse scored to compute a total score. We first examined whether purportedly separate well-being and depression CES-D factors can be reconceptualised as a bipolar well-being/depression continuum. We then characterised the (linear or nonlinear) form of the relationship between this continuum and other psychiatric variables. ResultsBoth predictions were supported. When controlling for shared method bias amongst positively worded items, a single factor well-being/depression continuum underlies the CES-D. Baseline levels on this continuum are found to have near linear relationships with changes in anxiety symptoms, aggression, and substance misuse over time, demonstrating that moving from depression to well-being on the CES-D provides an equal decrease in risk for several other psychological problems irrespective of position on the continuum. LimitationsThe CES-D does not measure well-being as comprehensively as established scales of well-being. ConclusionsResults support calls for mental health services to jointly focus on increasing well-being and reducing distress, and point to the value of early intervention and instilling resilience in order to prevent people moving away from high levels of well-being.

Positive clinical interventions: Why are they import and how do they work?

In this paper we discuss positive clinical psychology as an emerging field within clinical psychology. Positive clinical psychology is based on research demonstrating that mental health is more than the absence of mental illness, on research showing that well-being has buffering effects on the incidence of psychopathology and mental illnesses and on studies demonstrating that positive characteristics, such as positive emotions and gratitude, can predict pathology beyond the predictive power of negative characteristics. In this paper we present three distinct forms of well-being: emotional, psychological and social. In addition we review three types of positive clinical interventions: well-being therapy, positive psychotherapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. The paper ends with a call for a transformation of mental health care in which illness oriented treatments are complemented with well-being oriented treatments.

Toward positive psychosocial practice in psychosis: In pursuit of subjective wellbeing in severe mental ill-health

This article summarises and reflects on the scarce literature on the subject of positive psychosocial practice in the clinical specialism of complex and enduring mental health needs, such as psychosis. An attempt is made to demonstrate that such practice is not only achievable among individuals with severe psychological difficulties but, indeed, has already begun to develop, although it seems still in its infancy. The literature reviewed in this paper appears to indicate that a person with psychosis is as capable of experiencing subjective wellbeing as any other person in the general population. However, in order to promote wellbeing and sustained recovery among such individuals, a specialist psychosocial input needs to be delivered in a positive – that is integrative, person-based, collaborative, socially inclusive, and flow-inducing – manner. Furthermore, the article endeavours to demonstrate that in order to effect a fundamental shift in the perception of severe mental ill-health from a deficit-based and psychopathology-oriented stance toward a person-based and socially inclusive one, the principles of positive practice need to inform a wide range of clinical and social activities, including assessment, intervention, interpersonal reengagement and public policy development. It is nevertheless acknowledged that positive psychosocial approaches to psychosis are still in their infancy and relevant research studies remain considerably underrepresented, and in many aspects virtually non-existent. Hence, it is suggested that future research in positive clinical psychology within the specialty of complex, severe and enduring mental ill-health is actively encouraged and pursued by both clinicians and academics.

Integrating Best Practices in Positive Behavior Support and Clinical Psychology for a Child With Autism and Anxiety-Related Problem Behavior

This clinical case study investigated the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention for a child with autism and anxiety-related problem behavior that integrated components of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with positive behavior support (PBS). One child with autism and his family participated. The dependent variable was the number of steps that the child completed in an anxiety hierarchy during exposure sessions in one or more shopping malls. A changing criterion design evaluated improvements in child behavior. The design had three phases: implementation with interventionists, maintenance and generalization with family, and follow-up. Direct observation results during implementation with interventionists documented stepwise improvement in child behavior consistent with the steps in the anxiety hierarchy. Parent verbal report during the maintenance and generalization phase indicated that the child’s ability to ride on escalators maintained and generalized. Follow-up data collected 24 months post intervention indicated continued success. Results are discussed in terms of limitations, implications, and future research.

A Positive Approach to Clinical Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. It has the immediate goal of understanding individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases and by many accounts it ultimately aims to benefit society. In this field, a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be classified as a social, behavioral, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the physiological and neurobiological processes that underlie certain cognitive functions and behaviors. Positive clinical psychology, has an integrated and equally weighted focus on both positive and negative functioning in all areas of research and practice. Positive characteristics can uniquely predict disorder beyond the predictive power of the presence of negative characteristics, and buffer the impact of negative life events, potentially preventing the development of disorder. Increased study of these characteristics can rapidly expand the knowledge base of clinical psychology and utilize the promising new interventions to treat disorder through promoting the positive. Responding to criticisms of the Positive Psychology movement Positive psychology has been implemented in business management practice, but has faced challenges. Wong and Davey noted managers can introduce positive psychology to a workplace, but they might struggle with positive ways to apply it to employees. Furthermore, for employees to welcome and commit to positive psychology, its application within an organization must be transparent.

Subjective wellbeing in psychosis: Mediating effects of psychological distress on happiness levels amongst individuals diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

A correlational study examined the suppositions of Headey and Wearing’s four-dimension model of subjective wellbeing (SWB) and psychological distress amongst people experiencing psychosis. The research objective was to replicate the model with the studied sample and to examine how emotional distress resulting from psychosis affects the individuals’ satisfaction with life and positive affect levels. Forty-seven individuals with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia completed self-report measures of psychoticism, paranoid ideation, depression and anxiety (Brief Symptom Inventory), positive affect (Affect Balance Scale), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale). Correlational patterns of the four-dimension model were replicated with individuals experiencing psychosis. Although the levels of depression and anxiety were clearly elevated in comparison with general population norms, the levels of positive affect remained similar to those in the general population, and the average life satisfaction appeared only slightly decreased. Depression was found to act as a dominant mediator between the severity of experiences of psychosis and satisfaction with life. Possible explanations for the findings are proposed and implications from the positive clinical psychology perspective are suggested. Based on the study outcomes it is argued that: (1) psychosis does not equal unhappiness, (2) psychosis does not immobilize adaptive mechanisms of SWB, (3) psychosis does not exempt individuals from positive mood set-points, and (4) psychosis does not indiscriminately lower life satisfaction.

Positive Clinical Neuroscience

Disorders of the brain and its sensory organs have traditionally been associated with deficits in movement, perception, cognition, emotion, and behavior. It is increasingly evident, however, that positive phenomena may also occur in such conditions, with implications for the individual, science, medicine, and for society. This article provides a selective review of such positive phenomena – enhanced function after brain lesions, better-than-normal performance in people with sensory loss, creativity associated with neurological disease, and enhanced performance associated with aging. We propose that, akin to the well-established field of positive psychology and the emerging field of positive clinical psychology, the nascent fields of positive neurology and positive neuropsychology offer new avenues to understand brain-behavior relationships, with both theoretical and therapeutic implications.

Positive Psychology and the Illness Ideology: Toward a Positive Clinical Psychology

This article challenges traditional views of the proper subject matter of clinical psychology, the nature of psychological adjustment and maladjustment, and the roles and functions of clinical psychologists. Toward this end, the article discusses clinical psychologists’conceptions of psychological adjustment and maladjustment and of the difference between psychological adjustment and maladjustment. It describes and challenges the illness ideology that has prevailed in clinical psychology for the past century—an ideology that has been socially constructed rather than scientifically constructed. This ideology consists of not only a set of assumptions about the nature of psychological adjustment and the “territory” of clinical psychology but also a language that influences the way clinical psychologists and others think about the field. It then offers a statement of a new mission for and vision of clinical psychology based on the values of positive psychology.Cet article interroge l’approche traditionnelle des questions spécifiques à la psychologie clinique, la nature de l’adaptation et de l’inadaptation psychologiques, et les rôles et fonctions des psychologues cliniciens. A cette fin, on examine les conceptions des cliniciens concernant l’adaptation et l’inadaptation psychologiques, ainsi que la différence entre ces deux notions. On décrit et conteste l’idéologie de la maladie qui a prévalu en psychologie clinique au cours du dernier siècle, une idéologie qui a étéélaborée socialement plutôt que scientifiquement. Cette idéologie renvoie non seulement à une série d’affirmations sur la nature de l’adaptation psychologique et le « territoire » de la psychologie clinique, mais aussi à un langage qui influence la façon dont les psychologues cliniciens (et d’autres aussi) abordent ce domaine. On propose ensuite, à partir des valeurs de la psychologie positive, une vision de la psychologie clinique débouchant pour elle sur une nouvelle mission.

The role of positive emotions and clinical psychology: Vital hut undervalued

In this paper we outline the vital but under-appreciated role that an understanding of positive emotions, and their dysfunctions, can play in clinical psychology. Positive affects are functionally distinct from the negative affects that are the usual focus of our work. Basic research on positive emotions suggests that positive affects play a critical role in the capacity for flexible behaviour and new learning, as well as the capacity to be motivated by distal goals. In this respect, positive affects are vital to adaptive behaviour, and often act to buffer individuals against stress. The role of low levels of positive affect in vulnerability to depression and schizophrenia is explored, as is the importance of assessing the capacity for positive experience for diagnostic processes. Finally, we describe a recently developed extension of cognitive behavioural techniques, known as “Well being therapy” that focuses on enhancing the client's ability to achieve well being across a wide variety of domains, including environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, autonomy, self-acceptance and positive relations with others. These techniques appear to very promising for treating a variety of psychological disorders, and may have specific relevance for the prevention of relapse. If clinical psychology is to embrace a definition of health that includes not just the absence of disease, but also values positive aspects of well-being and optimal functioning, then a greater focus on the role of positive emotion in psychological disorder and its treatment will be vital.