Distinction: SF & Positive Psychology

[Paolo Terni]

New posting on my blog. Here is an excerpt:

Therefore:

IF therapy is about treatment and about helping people function in society (Using a sports metaphor, a therapist makes sure that an injured athlete recovers to compete again, via an effective rehab program)

AND

IF coaching is about helping people function well in society, if it is about living better and about performing better (Using a sports metaphor, a coach makes sure that the athlete performs at his or her best, via an effective training program or effective motivational strategies)

THEN it stands to reason that:

- therapy, SF or otherwise, does NOT need to find connections with Positive Psychology. It might, but it does not have to. Therapy is about treating mental illness. Therapy is rooted in traditional Psychology. Therapy, how to treat mental illness, was the engine that drove traditional Psychology.

- coaching, however, SF or otherwise, does need to find common ground with Positive Psychology: the work done in the field of Positive Psychology should inform coaching practices, and empirically tested coaching protocols should inform the research in Positive Psychology.

Read it all here.

[Paolo Terni]

Thanks, Peter.

Coert was very kind and added his link on a comment on my blog.
I will review the threads in the SOLUTIONS listserv, thanks!!

[Hans-Peter Korn]

Hi Paolo - in addition to this I would like to mention this blog: "Positive Psychology, The Strengths Movement and the Solution-Focused Approach" by Coert Visser on 20 May 2008 here:
http://solworld.ning.com/profiles/blogs/2102269:BlogPost:2013
And in the SOLUTIONS-List it was discussied also here:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A1=ind0709&L=SOLUTIONS-L#24
and here
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A1=ind0709&L=SOLUTIONS-L#25