Positive Psychology Coaching

Robert Biswas-Diener, MS, holds a master's degree in clinical psychology from Pacific University and in 2005, founded Meridian Life Coaching, LC, to provide life coaching services to a wide range of academics and professionals, He is known as the "Indiana Jones of Positive psychology," with his studies taking him to such far-flung destinations as Greenland, Spain, Kenya, Israel, and India, where he has worked with remote groups of people traditionally overlooked by researchers. Ben Dean, PhD, MCC, is one of the most influential figures in the world of coaching. In 1997 he founded MentorCoach LLC, the first coach training school exclusively focused on training mental health professionals, which has trained thousands of clinicians and other mental health professionals throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. He also publishes several widely read e-newsletters, including Coaching Toward Happiness, Therapist as Coach, and eCoach.

Introduction vii

Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter 1 The Coaching Paradox and the Positive Psychology Solution 1

Foundation I Happiness and Positivity

Chapter 2 Happiness: The Goal We Rarely Talk About 25

Chapter 3 Choosing Happiness: Goals, Relationships, and Positive Thinking 59

Chapter 4 Solid Happiness Interventions 89

Foundation II Character Strengths

Chapter 5 Strengths Coaching 117

Chapter 6 Coaching to Personal Strengths 143

Chapter 7 Coaching to Social Strengths 165

Special Topics in Positive Psychology Coaching

Chapter 8 Helping Clients Craft the Perfect Job 189

Chapter 9 The Future of Positive Psychology Coaching 209

Appendix: Planning Positive Psychology Coaching Sessions 221

Notes 231

Index 251