Shifting the Focus
On the whole, our current school system tends to be predominately focused on achievement and grades, so our children are prepared for the world of work. Yet there is so much more that we need to do to fully support the development of our young people. We are seeing many young people just getting through the day, and developing emotional health needs. Of course, once schools are aware of a young person struggling either academically or emotionally, or both, they seek help and support for him/her, whether this is from the Educational Psychology Service and/or Child and Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for instance. However, as I see it, we need two shifts in focus here:
- From a focus on ameliorating difficulties and disorder to a focus building the foundations of flourishing – the focus of positive psychology.
- From a focus on achievement and grades to a focus on developing children and young people as ‘whole’ individuals – the focus of positive education.
But this is going to be a joint effort, we need a change of focus in psychology too. Prior to World War II there were three aims for psychology:
- To fix mental health problems
- To promote flourishing in the ‘normal’ population
- To study those classed as ‘geniuses’
But with the return of Soldiers in need of mental health support, things got stuck at number 1; ‘fixing’ things that have gone wrong.
This means that across clinical and educational settings alike there has been, and much still is, a focus on diagnosis of what is ‘wrong’ with a child or young person and intervention to ‘fix’ or ameliorate it. I’m not saying there is never the need for a diagnosis or traditional treatment, but what I am saying is we need to change the focus, so that psychology is:
“not just the study of disease, weakness and damage; it is also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what is wrong; it is also building what is right.” (Seligman, 2002).
To do this, a change in focus is needed amongst psychology professionals and school staff alike. My aim for HAPPI Psychology and my independent Educational Psychology practice, Flying Colours, is to support and promote this change.
Development of the Whole Person & Flourishing
So as we’ve discussed, typically education is focused on primarily developing a young person’s academic skills so they can achieve the grades needed for Further or Higher Education so they can then be catapulted into the world of work and adult life. As a result, this is what we often see:
- Adults who have jobs/careers but hate getting up to go to work every day.
- Adults who are languishing; just getting through the day.
- Adults who experience emotional health difficulties.
- Adults who feel ‘empty’.
Their schooling got them into the world of work and independence, but is that all there is? No, there is definitely more, and Positive Psychology & Positive Education is the path we need to follow so our children and young people flourish in school and use their experiences in school to support their own wellbeing as adults.
There are two ways to do this, firstly we can directly teach the skills of wellbeing and flourishing to our young people. Secondly, we can imbed ‘a positive psychology way of being’ into schools, where school staff and young people naturally begin to incorporate positive psychology practices into their lives. I believe there is a case for both approaches being implemented alongside each other.
So what are these skills? There are many, but they are primarily built upon the framework for wellbeing put forward by Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology. This is summarised by his acronym PERMA:
P – Positive Emotion
E – Engagement
R – Relationships
M – Meaning
A – Accomplishment
This framework has since been extended to include the importance of physical health and wellbeing, as mind and body are interlinked and something that impacts on one, will invariably impact on the other.
By implementing techniques rooted in the PERMA framework of wellbeing within schools, we can create flourishing school communities. Some of the research evidence for this is outlined on our ‘Proof it Works’ page, why not take a look?
Not Forgetting Heads, Senior Leaders, Teachers & Support Staff
School staff cannot adequately support the wellbeing of children and young people if they themselves are coming from a place of exhaustion, stress and burnout, struggling to get through the day. This is why HAPPI Psychology has also got this covered with resources for school staff to create flourishing lives for themselves too. We also have resources for senior leaders to learn how to support the wellbeing of school staff by making adjustments to standard procedures that already take place in schools such as performance reviews and return to work interviews.
How Can Positive Psychology & Positive Education be Implemented in Your School?
HAPPI Psychology draws on the PERMA framework and expands it to include complementary Educational Psychology approaches and evidence from the field of Positive Health. This means it is an incredibly comprehensive approach that you can use to support wellbeing for all who learn and work in your school. Everything is designed for easy access at a time that suits each individual.
For more information, take a look around this website or contact Vikki at vikki@happipsychology.co.uk
References
Seligman, M. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. IN C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez (eds). Handbook of Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.