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24684 - Clinical Applications of Positive Psychology

Academic Year 2009/2010

  • Docente: Chiara Ruini
  • Credits: 8
  • SSD: M-PSI/08
  • Language: English
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Cesena
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Clinical psychology (cod. 0990)

Learning outcomes

Positive Psychology is a new line of research, which is being developing only in recent years. Positive Psychology is aimed to study issues which have been neglected for a long time, such as psychological well-being, quality of life, optimal human functioning, happiness, optimism, etc..Students in this course will learn the most recent topics related to Positive Psychology, with particular emphasis on their applications in clinical psychology.

Course contents

  1.  Historical and philisophical background of Positive Psychology

  2. Subjective well-being and life satisfaction

  3. Positive emotions and their role in human development

  4. psychological well-being

  5. Positive mental health and its implications for psychotherapies

  6. Well-Being Therapy

  7. Love: strategies for improving love in couples

  8. Strategies for improving optimism

  9. Strategies for improving hope

  10. Gratitude and altruism

  11. Forgiveness and spirituality

  12. Post-traumatic Growth and psychotherapies

  13. Strategies for improving resilience

  14. the concept of flow and otpimal experience

  15. biological substrates of optimal human functioning

  16. promotion of well-being in society (children, adults, aging people)

Readings/Bibliography

Linley, A., Joseph, S. (Eds) Positive Psychology in Practice. New York , Wiley, 2004. Chapters: 1,2,22,23,24,25,26,27,29,32,35,37,40,41

Snyder C, Lopez S. (Eds) Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2002. Chapters: 4,5,7,9,17,18,19,32,33,34,37,39,47

Optional reading:

C. Peterson: A primer in positive psychology, Oxford University press, 2006

Slides of the lectures are available on internet (www.psice.unibo.it)

Teaching methods

  • Lectures with Power Point Presentation.

  • Case exemplifications and role-playing

Assessment methods

The final evaluation will consist in a written exam (test) with multiple choice questions aimed to assess the student's knowledge regarding the topics included in the textbooks and discussed in class.The final evaluation will consist in a written exam (test) with multiple choice questions aimed to assess the student's knowledge regarding the topics included in the textbooks and discussed in class.

Optional writing: brief dissertation on a  specific Positive Psychology topic

Teaching tools

Handouts and power point presentations available on internet

Links to further information

http://servizi.psice.unibo.it/docenti/

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Ruini