Lindsay G. Oades

University of Melbourne | MSD · Research Centre for Positive Psychology

Background and aims Dysfunctional cognition and negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with persistently low social functioning and quality of life (QoL). Recovery interventions report only a modest effect in improving social functioning and QoL. This study examined the therapeutic effects and pathways of interventions using strength-bas...

This chapter is a personal experience case-study of living in Melbourne, Australia, during the COVID19 pandemic period of 2020–2022. Through this personal experience case-study I describe my lived experience in Melbourne during “lockdown,” informed by my expertise in psychology and wellbeing, and my interest in political philosophy, to examine soci...

Objective: The authors aimed to evaluate the impact of a staff development training program informed by the collaborative recovery model (CRM) on staff outcomes in the largest implementation of CRM undertaken by a public clinical mental health service. Methods: Implementation spanned community, rehabilitation, inpatient, and crisis programs for...

Whilst there is evidence of subjective wellbeing being related to academic success, good performance within and beyond university, degree attainment, and positive subsequent physical, mental, economic, and social outcomes in the university student population, less is known on how different student populations perceive, experience, and cultivate wel...

Wellbeing can mean different things to different people, even in the same culture with the same language. People living at the intersection of two languages and cultures, such as Chinese students studying in an English-speaking nation, not only speak a different language than their host country, but also may have different conceptualizations of wel...

Flow-enjoyed and fully absorbed engagement in meaningful and contextually bounded activities-is widely underutilised in psychotherapy and mental health settings. Two gold standard therapies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), while powerful and effective in many ways, would benefit from systematic model...

Vital engagement has been described as a focused, meaningful, and active relationship with work across one’s lifetime (Nakamura, 2001, 2014). Theoretically, vital engagement goes beyond short-term interest and engagement in one’s work, representing instead an ongoing, homeostatic sense of engagement that sustainably occurs across years and decades....

This short article is the last in a series of six papers exploring positive psychology coaching techniques. The previous papers have explored the concept of positive coaching psychology and how it may be applied. The focus of this paper is a technique that encourages the mind to pay more attention to good things and develop a mind more observant of...

This article builds on a descriptive paper on positive psychology coaching and several previous techniques papers. This paper explores the application of gratitude, with its associated benefits, as a part of positive psychology coaching practice.

This is the first in a series of papers to look at Positive Psychology Coaching (PPC) as an approach suitable for use with coaching clients. This paper presents a brief overview of PPC for readers who are less familiar with the approach and highlights other sources for a fuller account of PPC. The paper sets the scene for a subsequent series of pap...

This short techniques article is part of a series of papers and builds on the initial outline paper which explored the potential of positive psychology approaches within coaching (Passmore & Oades, 2014). This paper focuses on the skill of positive case conceptualisation, which allows coach and coachee to work collaboratively on building a shared u...

The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF), a measure of well-being, in Iranian adolescents. The MHC-SF was administrated to two samples, each consisting of 400 Iranian 15-year-olds recruited using multistage random cluster sampling (N1 = 400, N2 = 400, total N = 800). Exploratory and...

The overall goal of the ISEE Assessment is to pool multi-disciplinary expertise on educational systems and reforms from a range of stakeholders in an open and inclusive manner, and to undertake a scientifically robust and evidence based assessment that can inform education policy-making at all levels and on all scales. Its aim is not to be policy p...

In this review of the central tenets of hope theory, we examine the meta-theoretical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of the literature base. Our analysis moves from a broad examination of the research landscape in hope theory across disciplines, to a deeper investigation of the empirical literature in university students. This review h...

Since 2000, research within positive psychology has exploded, as reflected in dozens of meta-analyses of different interventions and targeted processes, including strength spotting, positive affect, meaning in life, mindfulness, gratitude, hope, and passion. Frequently, researchers treat positive psychology processes of change as distinct from each...

This short article focuses on the skill of Active Constructive Responding, a technique used when working within a positive psychology coaching framework. The paper offers a table that describes the behaviours, cognitions and emotions at six levels of listening. It offers a way to combine active listening with positive feedback responses to help dem...

In this techniques paper we explain how using random acts of kindness can be built into consistent acts of kindness and empathy, helping clients build, hope, self‐regard as well as long‐term physical health.

Achievement emotions are emotions linked to academic, work, or sports achievement activities (activity emotions) and their success and failure outcomes (outcome emotions). Recent evidence suggests that achievement emotions are linked to motivational, self-regulatory, and cognitive processes that are crucial for academic success. Despite the importa...

Positive psychology approaches have been shown to play a vital role in protecting mental health in times of challenge and are, therefore, important to include when studying the psychological outcomes of COVID-19. While existing research has focused on individual psychological health, this paper focuses on collective wellbeing and collective posttra...

Wellbeing literacy is a capability involving the vocabulary and knowledge about wellbeing, and skills of communicating, via multimodal pathways, for the wellbeing of oneself and others, in a way that is context sensitive and intentional. Wellbeing literacy offers three key benefits. Firstly, it may orient our focus towards wellbeing capabilities an...

Flow at work is thought to be a dynamic and contextually bounded experience. Its relevance to optimal human functioning is well documented. Although flow theory suggests a mutually reinforcing association between flow and strengths use, with support by cross-sectional and short-term studies, the inter-relationship of flow at work and strengths use...

Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders provides an extensive set of free-to-use policies for building better schools. The policies included in this book cover a broad range of popular topics for schools that are not readily accessible, and each policy is built on theory, driven by resea...

(1) Background: The present study developed and evaluated a personal emotional capital questionnaire (PECQ) for adults that assessed 10 domains of personal emotional capital. (2) Method: Initially, 100 items were created and then administered to students attending Semnan University and Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Of the 700 quest...

Aims: Wellbeing literacy is the intentional use of wellbeing relevant vocabulary, knowledge and language skills to maintain or improve the wellbeing of oneself, others and the world. In this study, we operationalize the human aspects of the concept of wellbeing literacy and empirically test its relationship with wellbeing and illbeing. We also ass...

Wellbeing science is the scientific investigation of wellbeing, its’ antecedents and consequences. Alongside growth of wellbeing science is significant interest in wellbeing interventions at individual, organizational and population levels, including measurement of national accounts of wellbeing. In this concept paper, we propose the capability mod...

The development of academic fields is often described through the metaphor of ‘waves.’ Following the instantiation of positive psychology (the first wave), scholarship emerged looking critically at the notions of positive and negative, becoming known as its second wave. More recently, we discern an equally significant shift, namely scholarship that...

Students at the tertiary education level in Australia are at increased risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress, with international students at particularly high risk for poor adjustment. As mental health and wellbeing strongly correlate with students’ academic performance and general overseas experience, a growing number of studi...

We introduce the concept of wellbeing literacy, a capability (what we can be and do), that involves intentional language use about and for wellbeing. Wellbeing literacy is a capability, rather than a positive psychology interventions (PPI) per se. Wellbeing literacy may provide novel ways to consider two key challenges to PPIs justified by randomis...

In the emergent field of positive education, studies have investigated the characteristics of successful positive education interventions (Waters Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 28(2), 75–90, 2011). These characteristics include following a whole school approach, integrating positive psychology into traditional subjects, and...

Despite the rapid growth and uptake of the positive psychological perspective by researchers and general audiences, hype regarding the field’s potential can lead to exaggerated claims, over-inflated expectations, disillusionment, dismissal, and unintentional harms. To help mature the field, we propose Systems Informed Positive Psychology (SIPP), wh...

Citören Virus(Corona) FRhK-4iocv CnV2-NK2 (Human) CnV2-Nk9 (Canine)

Part one: Becoming a researcher in coaching or mentoring 1. Benefits of research: Why do research on coaching and mentoring? 2. Impactful research: How do I make my research innovative, worth doing and impactful? 3. Research teams: Who will be part of my research team? 4. Avoiding pitfalls: How do I avoid common pitfalls made by new researchers? 5....

This study applied the control-value theory of achievement emotions to investigate the antecedents of achievement emotions experienced by adolescents in computer-based collaborative problem-solving (CPS) activities. In addition, it identified the set of discrete achievement emotions that adolescents experience in CPS scenarios. Results of structura...

Evaluation studies often use stand-alone and summative assessment strategies to examine the impacts of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Gender-based Violence (GBV) prevention education programs. However, implementation research is yet to offer an integrative framework that can be used to investigate the implementation drivers that lead to th...

Background: Research on consumer-defined recovery from mental illness has been critiqued for a lack of quantitative evidence and conceptual clarity that has impeded further development of recovery-oriented services. This is especially true when it comes to models of the stages of recovery from mental illness. Qualitative studies have produced 20 di...

We explored the relationship between adolescents’ activity-based achievement emotions and their performance during collaborative problem solving (CPS) tasks, which was operationalized as having objective social and cognitive performance dimensions. Participants were 100 adolescent dyads (n = 200) who completed a series of five computer-based CPS ta...

The seemingly innocuous question "What is wellbeing?" easily leads to passionate debates and much conceptual confusion. Th is chapter first provides some signposts for a definition of wellbeing. Sound definition of the construct is essential to the measurement of wellbeing and the growth of the science of wellbeing. The emergence of the science of...

A range of definitions, critiques and debates surround positive education. One critique includes the claim that it is neither a unique nor new endeavour. How is positive education different from other mental health promotion programs (e.g. MindMatters, CASEL, World Health Organisation Health Promoting Schools)? How is positive education different f...

Workplace bullying is a major problem that affects the well-being and productivity of employees. Some previous studies have found that workplace bullying is associated with absenteeism, which is a major contributor to lost workplace productivity. However, a comprehensive understanding of how different workplace bullying experiences are associated w...

Prospection, the representation of possible futures, is a ubiquitous feature of the human mind (Seligman et al., 2013). In this chapter we adopt a subjunctive mood and go beyond evidence within the three sections covered in this book to explore possible futures for both recovery and wellbeing, identifying three emerging themes within each area. Som...

Traditional mental health care emphasises living with fewer symptoms; mental health recovery may be seen as living well with illness and wellbeing as simply living well. Within this spectrum of aims, this chapter describes the evolution of the Collaborative Recovery Model (CRM) from its origins around the year 1998 until now. The CRM is a conceptua...

This book brings together two bodies of knowledge - wellbeing and recovery. Wellbeing and 'positive' approaches are increasingly influencing many areas of society. Recovery in mental illness has a growing empirical evidence base. For the first time, overlaps and cross-fertilisation opportunities between the two bodies of knowledge are identified. I...

Positive education (PosEd) combines the concepts and scholarship of positive psychology (PP) with best practice guidelines from education to promote student flourishing within educational settings. In this chapter, we first review the conceptual approaches to well-being upon which much of PosEd in Australia is based. Second, based on our experience...

This chapter introduces the concept of mental fitness and its association to mental health and well&;#x02010;being, particularly in the workplace. Physical fitness is a combination of qualities that enable individuals to be at their full potential in performing vigorous physical activities and involve endurance, strength &;#38; flexibility. Mental...

This chapter discusses that organizational theory needs to move beyond the happy worker hypothesis and in so doing avoid the individualist fallacy. It uses the term &;#x00027;individualist fallacy&;#x00027; to refer to the phenomenon of conflating group or organization&;#x02010;level constructs with individual&;#x02010;level analysis. Employee enga...

This chapter explores the nature of the psychology of positivity and how strengths&;#x02010;based approaches are used with individuals and organizations. Positive psychology has emerged as the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing intrapersonally, interpersonally and collectively. The chapter offers an up&;#x02010;to&;#x020...

This handbook makes a unique contribution to organizational psychology and HRM by providing comprehensive international coverage of the contemporary field of positivity and strengths-based approaches at work. It provides critical reviews of key topics such as resilience, wellbeing, hope, motivation, flow, authenticity, positive leadership and engag...

This article builds on a descriptive paper on positive psychology coaching and several previous techniques papers. This paper explores the application of gratitude, and its associated benefits, as a part of positive psychology coaching practice.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the role of values within contemporary mental health recovery services, outlining the rationale and approach for a specific values-focused staff intervention to promote autonomously motivated uptake of recovery-oriented practices. Design/methodology/approach – Recent advances in understanding of the...

Background: The implementation and use of evidence-based practices is a key priority for recovery-oriented mental health service provision. Training and development programmes for employees continue to be a key method of knowledge and skill development, despite acknowledged difficulties with uptake and maintenance of behaviour change. Self-determi...

This paper examined the relationships between workplace bullying, sleep quality, and psychological distress using a person-centred approach. Participants included 1454 Australian employees who completed an online questionnaire. Experiences of workplace bullying were assessed via the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, with Latent Class Analysis co...

In this techniques paper we explain how using random acts of kindness can be built into consistent acts of kindness and empathy, helping clients build, hope, self regard as well as long term physical health.

Background There is an emerging evidence base about best practice in supporting recovery. This is usually framed in relation to general principles, and specific pro-recovery interventions are lacking.AimsTo develop a theoretically based and empirically defensible new pro-recovery manualised intervention - called the REFOCUS intervention.Method Seve...

This chapter describes the application of the qualitative method known as the Experience Cycle Methodology (ECM). This method is based on Kelly's five phase Experience Cycle. After describing the formal components of the method, four case examples are provided from people living with selective mutism.

Oades et al (2011) proposed a framework for a positive university, however the well-being of university staff may be a long way from this vision. Over the last 20 years significant changes have occurred in colleges and universities impacting upon the working life of academics (Bakker et al, 2010). These changes include reductions in government fund...

Despite the increased use of the term mental fitness in the popular and psychological literature, there is little consensus in relation to theory, definition and measurement. The concept of mental fitness could be used to parsimoniously engage, educate and promote proactive, positive mental health activities to the wider community, without stigma a...

Living according to one's personal values has implications for wellbeing, and incongruence between personal and workplace values has been associated with burnout. Using the SGP Card Sorting Task (Ciarrochi & Bailey, 2008), this study explored mental health practitioners' personal life values and personal work-related values, and their relationships...

Objectives This article discusses why personality change appears both possible and beneficial, and provides a step-wise process of intentional personality change coaching. Design A qualitative single sample exploratory design was employed. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a panel of coaches/psychologists (experts), in order t...

Objectives: Recent literature suggests that personality may be more amenable to change than was previously thought, and that participant selected intentional personality change may be beneficial. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 10-week structured intentional personality change coaching programme on participant selected persona...

Recovery has come to mean living a life beyond mental illness, and recovery orientation is policy in many countries. The aims of this study were to investigate what staff say they do to support recovery and to identify what they perceive as barriers and facilitators associated with providing recovery-oriented support. Data collection included ten f...

Objective: The concept of recovery has been generating significant interest in mental health contexts, as has the behavioral change approach of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) within clinical psychotherapy contexts. This exploratory study sought to examine whether a person in psychological recovery from mental illness would describe the use...

Purpose The main objective of this study was to explore clients’ experiences of participating in a structured intentional personality change coaching programme designed to facilitate change on client chosen personality facets. Design A qualitative design, using inductive thematic analysis was employed to explore participants’ experiences with as f...

Background: The goals of participation youth sports are primarily concerned with the facilitation of positive youth development as opposed to outright success. Consequently, there are strong theoretical and empirical links between sports coaching and athlete development. Transformational leadership behaviours, in particular, have been theoretically...

This study investigated the impact of a transformational leadership training program for youth sport coaches on adolescent athletes' perceptions of transformational leadership and positive developmental experiences. The transformational leadership training program was associated with higher rates of perceived transformational leadership behaviour a...

Objectives The coaching relationship has been described as the catalyst for change. This study explores the coaching relationship by comparing the working alliance and the ‘real relationship’ – the undistorted and authentic experience of the other – in participants in skills coaching and transformational coaching. Design A 2 (coaching condition) x...

Moving to recovery-oriented service provision in mental health may entail retraining existing staff, as well as training new staff. This represents a substantial burden on organisations, particularly since transfer of training into practice is often poor. Follow-up supervision and/or coaching have been found to improve the implementation and sustai...

There is growing acceptance that optimal service provision for individuals with severe and recurrent mental illness requires a complementary focus on medical recovery (i.e., symptom management and general functioning) and personal recovery (i.e., having a 'life worth living'). Despite significant research attention and policy-level support, the tra...

Meaning in life is a powerful predictor of both motivation and wellbeing. Perhaps no other motivating force is greater than to possess a calling and believe that one is destined to fulfil a specific life role, regardless of sacrifice, with an attitude that in doing so, his or her effort will make a meaningful contribution to the greater good. This...

Objectives: 1) to understand the reconstruction of narrative identity during mental health recovery using a complex adaptive systems perspective, 2) to address the need for alternative approaches that embrace the complexities of health care. Method: A narrative review of published literature was conducted. Results: A complex adaptive systems p...

The purpose of this study was to use the results of an exploratory case study to discuss the design and delivery of formal coach education pathways. Nine coaches completed qualitative and quantitative feedback on a formal transformational leadership training program. The theme that was consistently being presented by coaches was the need for learni...

Introduction Definitions of Peer Support Forms of Peer Support Initiatives Necessary Tensions in Peer Support Contexts Summary of Evidence From Peer Support Programmes Example of a Peer Support Service Recommendations Regarding Implementation of Peer Support Initiatives References

Socialising the Person to Goal-Setting Processes Building Strength Clarifying Values and Valued Life Directions Align Goals with Valued Life Directions Specify Target Goals Identify Levels Of Success Review the Goal Plan Collaborative Action Planning and Monitoring Action Planning Steps References

Objective: To develop a brief measure of stage of psychological recovery from mental illness by identifying the best-performing items of the 50-item Stages of Recovery Instrument (STORI). Method: Item response modelling was used to identify a short form of the full-length STORI. The resulting items were subjected to factor analysis to further re...

Objectives: The coaching relationship has been described as the catalyst for change. This study explores the coaching relationship by comparing the working alliance and the ‘real relationship’ – the undistorted and authentic experience of the other – in participants in skills coaching and transformational coaching. Design: A 2 (coaching condition)...