I am a psychologist and trainer. I have been using both Positive Psychology and solution focused practices for years. I have used Positive Psychology practices in different contexts, including suicide prevention, with people suffering from depression, and with people going through grief and trauma. In the last few years, I have been more and more interested in finding ways to foster resilience and post-traumatic growth. And then I was diagnosed with cancer. After my initial reaction (cancer sucks for me too), I decided to be intentional in applying what I know about Positive Psychology to observe for myself how it works- as a case study, with qualitative data. Don’t get me wrong- I live in Canada, in a country with universal health care, which makes it easier to get treatment and not to worry about losing my house. Social justice is integral to our wellbeing. But knowing the research on Positive Psychology and making the decision to apply what I teach to my personal life, I chose to focus on what was helpful. I experienced positive emotions and, as a result, I had more good days than bad days. I laughed a lot, and I felt closer to my family and friends. Because of Positive Psychology, cancer didn’t take over my life. I hope to share some insights that may be useful in the work we do with clients who are faced with hardship, and to facilitate reflection on how important it is to embody these ideas when we find ourselves in our clients’ shoes.
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