A positive psychology practitioner is one who has mastered the theory,
science, and application of positive psychology and uses this
knowledge to help others build the 5 components
of a flourishing life:
P E R M A
1. Positive Emotion
2. Engagement
3. Relationhsips
4. Meaning
5. Achievement
– A positive psychology practitioner measures, classifies, and builds P E R M A
– A positive psychology practitioner uses evidence-based interventions
– A positive psychology practitioner uses validated measures of well-being
– A positive psychology practitioner counsels people and organizations in the adoption
of interventions that work
A positive psychology practitioner may have a private practice that looks very much like
the private practice of a traditional psychologist or therapist, but instead of practicing
negative psychology, the positive psychology practitioner uses the principles and
practices of positive psychology where the focus is on wellness not illness.
To be an effective positive psychology practitioner, one must master the theory,
the science, and the application of positive psychology.
“…positive psychology is the study of positive emotion, of engagement, of meaning, of
positive accomplishment, and of good relationships. It attempts to measure, classify,
and build these five aspects of life. Practicing these endeavors will bring order out of
chaos by defining your scope of practice and distinguishing it from allied professions
such as clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work, and marriage and family
counseling.
…the science of positive psychology is rooted in scientific evidence that it
works. It uses tried-and-true methods of measurement, of experiments,
of longitudinal research, and of random-assignment, placebo-controlled
outcome studies to evaluate which interventions actually work and which
ones are bogus. It discards those that do not pass this gold standard
as ineffective, and it hones those that pass. …(working) with these
evidence-based interventions and validated measures of well-being will
set the boundaries of a responsible positive psychology practice.
You assuredly do not need to be a licensed psychologist to practice
positive psychology…Freud’s followers made the momentous error of
restricting psychoanalysis to physicians, and positive psychology is
not intended as an umbrella for yet another self-protective guild.
If you are adequately trained…in the theories of positive psychology,
in valid measurement of the positive states and traits, in the interventions
that work, and you know when to refer a client to someone who is more
appropriately trained, you will be, by my lights, bona fide disseminators
of positive psychology.”
From Pages 70 and 71, Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD, founder
of positive psychology science