Happiness Interventions Explained

Psychologist Martin Seligman calls positive psychology “a science of what makes life worth living.”¹

Seligman helped found the positive psychology movement, which seeks to shift the focus of psychology from treating mental illness to promoting mental well-being.

“… In our rush to do something about people in trouble, in our rush to do something about repairing damage, it never occurred to us to develop interventions to make people happier—positive interventions,” he said in the TED talk, “The New Era of Positive Psychology.”¹

Seligman says there are five components that help enhance well-being. Together, they form the acronym, PERMA. They are:²

• Positive emotion
• Engagement
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Accomplishment

What Are Happiness Interventions?

Happiness interventions are activities aimed at fostering positive emotions and behaviors within the components under the PERMA umbrella. Here are some examples of positive psychology interventions:

• Gratitude journaling
• Practicing mindfulness meditation
• Performing random acts of kindness
• Engaging in physical activity
• Building social connections

The late psychologist and researcher Michael Fordyce, also a member of the positive psychology movement, identified the 14 Fundamentals, which are actions and attitudes associated with happiness and well-being. Mental health counselors can create positive interventions around these fundamentals:³

1. Keeping busy and more active
2. Spending more time socializing
3. Being productive at meaningful work
4. Getting better organized
5. Worrying less
6. Adopting realistic expectations and aspirations
7. Developing positive, optimistic thinking
8. Becoming present-oriented
9. Building a healthy personality
10. Developing an outgoing, social personality
11. Being yourself
12. Eliminating negative feelings and problems
13. Nurturing close relationships
14. Making happiness your most important priority

“Positive psychology creates the opportunity to not only heal psychological damage but build strengths and traits that can enable people to achieve the best things in life,” the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) writes on its website.⁴

Seligman agrees: “Psychology should be just as concerned with human strength as it is with weakness. … It should be just as concerned with building strength as with repairing damage. … It should be interested in the best things in life,” he said in his TED talk.¹

Become a Licensed Professional Counselor

Do topics like this intrigue and inspire you? If so, you may want to explore earning a degree that gives you knowledge and skills you can use to pursue as a career as a mental health counselor.

Walden University’s online MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program can academically prepare you to seek licensure or certification as a licensed professional mental health counselor. Many people who earn mental health counseling master’s degrees apply that knowledge in careers as case managers, addiction counselors, therapists, military counselors, and more.

When you earn your clinical mental health counseling degree at Walden, you can tailor your studies to your career interests. Walden offers a General Program and eight optional specializations: Play Therapy; Rehabilitation Counseling; Telehealth Counseling, Private Practice, and Supervision; Military Families and Culture; Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; Addiction Counseling; Forensic Counseling; and Trauma and Crisis Counseling.

Walden’s online program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program is a requirement for licensure in many states.

Walden understands working professionals need flexibility in order to earn a degree. That’s why the accredited university offers online programs that help you earn a degree while balancing your personal and professional responsibilities. It also offers a wide range of support services, beginning with Enrollment Specialists who explain admission requirements, provide information about online degree programs, guide you through the application process, and answer your questions.

Start your journey toward earning a clinical mental health counseling master’s today and prepare for a future making a difference in the lives of others.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering an online MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_the_new_era_of_positive_psychology/transcript
²Source: www.berkeleywellbeing.com/positive-psychology.html
³Source: https://documents.pub/document/fordyce-14-fundamentals.html
⁴Source: https://ippanetwork.org/what-is-positive-psychology

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.

Note on Licensure
Walden University’s MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a requirement for licensure in many states. The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for licensing exams and to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state counseling boards. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements. For more information about licensure, students should visit the National Board for Certified Counselors at www.nbcc.org/stateboarddirectory or the American Association of State Counseling Boards at www.aascb.org, and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body. Learn more about professional licensure.