Positive psychotherapy

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · Tayyab Rashid, Martin Seligman · 2006

What it is

Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is the clinical arm of positive psychology. It runs alongside symptom-focused treatment and does not replace it. Its working hypothesis: depression and related distress are caused and maintained not only by symptoms but also by a lack of positive resources (positive…

Format

• Format. The 2018 manual has 15 sessions. Each has core concepts, in-session practices, worksheets for between-session practice, at least one clinical vignette, and notes on cross-cultural fit. Sessions are typically weekly, about 60 min individual or 90–120 min group. Group delivery is well…
• Three phases:

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is the clinical arm of positive psychology. It runs alongside symptom-focused treatment and does not replace it. Its working hypothesis: depression and related distress are caused and maintained not only by symptoms but also by a lack of positive resources (positive emotion, character strengths, meaning, good relationships and accomplishment, i.e. PERMA). So therapy builds these…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• working on too many strengths at once. Pick one at a time.
• plans that stay abstract. Signs it is working: the scheduled activity actually happens.
• practices the client has quietly dropped. Address non-adherence openly (see section 5).
• well-being scores rising while symptoms stay high, or the reverse. Both need discussion.
• trauma survivors who find eyes-closed or body-focused practices activating. Offer eyes-open options and grounding instead.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.