What drew you to study the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing?

“I wanted to learn from experts in an interesting, engaging and challenging way and I was very keen to give my ad-hoc approach more influence by formalising my learning in a coherent way.”

I have had a long term interest in many elements of positive psychology, though not giving those elements a collective title of positive psychology as many years ago this term was not used in my context or in any of the resources I accessed way back.

I have been doing work with students and staff for many years with terminology and ideas like the power of positive thinking, glass half full, optimism, success linked to attitudes. For example principal speeches at school assemblies, general interactions with others, professional development activities with staff were around these themes. Once I came across Positive Psychology, and started to explore it, and appreciated it as a science I was thrilled as it gave me a consistent language and broader understanding, but I felt there was so much to learn.

I also wanted to ensure more credibility to my long term interest and felt that undertaking a Diploma level program with a real qualification would be useful as well as the learning being of interest to me. I have another couple of Diplomas, in Counselling and Marketing, and felt this helped round out my knowledge across not only in a work context but a personal one as well.

I did originally enquire in 2015 about the Diploma with the Langley group but had not committed at that point. I did explore what else might be out there but nothing compared and once the Byron Bay option came up, I knew that was perfect for me and I jumped in for an amazing week and then the commitment to completing the diploma with a raft of excellent assessments that consolidated my learning, stretched me in a very positive way.

How was your experience studying this course?

“It’s actually a much more honest and reflective approach that I enjoyed adapting to and subsequently worked through each assessment with assurance.”

Whilst I had some prior knowledge, undertaking the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing was so refreshing and I was captivated by all of it. The core modules were facilitated so well, each component was well-paced and I feel deeply experienced with lots of experiential activities during the week. I think also that a course like this attracts people of a particular generosity and positivity and whilst our group was made up of people from a range of places, industries, backgrounds we learned so well due to the synergy in the group.

I struggled to narrow the elective choices to two, and working in Education I initially felt that would be appropriate, but a little expected. So in the end I chose Electives Leadership and Human Resources, as an extra challenge. Both of these electives of course were relevant to my context and the readings, assessment activities pushed me into new territory.

I admit that I stumbled with the first assessment in the core module as in my field, an academic writing approach is what I am used to and this is not what the Diploma assessment expectations are. I did complete my assessments within several months as I got into a good rhythm and the learnings from the week Byron Bay remained fresh. Support from the assessor was also excellent.

How are you spreading positive ripples in your world?

“The language of positive psychology pervades the campus – signage, quality posters, visuals and messages on TV screens, happy music in the mornings instead of bells.”

Yes, well both tangible achievements and influencing! Classroom teaching and student learning is the core work in schools with the principal’s responsibility being to ensure the best conditions for this to occur. The best conditions are created and maintained by ensuring a safe, supportive and happy place to learn and work. Perfectly aligned to the elements of positive psychology.

So back to school to spread some positive ripples. With any new initiative it’s important to have real support and influence from the top, so the school principal having the qualification of the Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing demonstrated a commitment to this agenda.

We had established a small wellbeing committee in 2016 comprised of staff and students who had tinkered with some well-being initiatives like celebrating mental health week as a positive “spring into wellbeing” week that changed the emphasis from dealing with negatives to a more positive one and a range of activities were attached to this that focussed on strengths, fun and the PERMA+ model.

Positive EMOTION, ENGAGEMENT, RELATIONSHIPS, MEANING, ACCOMPLISHMENT + HEALTH – eating well, moving regularly, sleeping deeply.

Completing the Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing has better enabled me as a knowledgeable workshop facilitator for a range of staff professional development activities and influencer of practice.

Some of the tangibles include:

A focus each term on a particular strength from the VIA Character Strengths http://www.viacharacter.org/www/. All students and staff undertake the VIA strength survey to determine their signature strengths and can adorn their laptop with stickers displaying their strengths so others know how working in different strength based groups might work for them.

Wellbeing theme days always with a range of new and tried and true “happiness” activities.

Gratitude boards in the school cafeteria and the staff rooms.

Wellbeing trolley including shade umbrellas, cushions, picnic rugs, games.

Campus corners for relaxation, music, chill zones, mindfulness activity zones: colour pencils and colouring sheets in the library and cafeteria with other mindfulness activities are linked to themed days with maker spaces including lego, happy beads for practising gratitude, marbling art to mention a few.

Direct instruction about mindset, the elements of positive psychology written into all year levels’ care program.

Weekly Random Acts of Kindness.

Our Head of Department Global Learners is the driver for much of this activity and is supported with a dedicated budget.

One of my principal addresses at awards night was “Positive Psychology 101” as one forum for educating parents as well as regular newsletter articles about positive psychology and what as a school we are doing in this field. As in pretty much all work places there are some doubters about anything new or different so I have always worked with the early adopters and champions in the first instance and work with those people to work on influencing the early and late majority and hopefully the last group to engage….the doubters. It has been interesting to work to engage the doubters but I know that if the principal has done the work, shared the science well then we have the critical mass required to make it work. And this is evidenced by the number of staff using the language of positive psychology increasingly almost automatically. It’s become “just what we do around here” and is reflected in official School Opinion Survey data with very high levels of satisfaction across all domains by students, staff and parents.

Apart from the positive ripples professionally, completing the Diploma has of course also contributed to my personal wellbeing in all sorts of positive ways.