Although positive psychology has not been fully integrated in traditional western medical practice, a growing number of positive interventions have been shown to enhance physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing for people in hospitals, clinical programs, and community health settings. COVID has impacted the most vulnerable populations seriously affecting people living in extreme poverty, food and housing insecurity, people grappling with chronic and serious illness, including mental illness, and the elderly.
To mitigate suffering and enhance emotional, physical and mental health for individuals in these aggrieved communities, Soaringwords is collaborating with Departments of Health & Human Services; Municipalities; and leading non-profit organizations throughout North America.
This symposium presents qualitative and quantitative findings from Soaringwords’ virtual workshops which are embedded with expert videos from positive psychology thought leaders including (Rich Tedeschi, Tal Ben-Shahar, Barbara Fredrickson, Jane Dutton, Lea Waters, Kristin Neff, Ryan Niemiec, John Ratey, Jonathan Haidt, and dozens more) combined with positive interventions and companion “positive dose effect” immersive exercises that have been shared with thousands of people. Each year, millions of children, families, and adults suffer from chronic or serious illness, trauma, setbacks. At present, due to the additional strain that the pandemic has placed on healthcare professionals at Health & Human Services agencies, in clinical settings, and hospitals these individuals are also grappling with mental health fissures exacerbated from COVID.
What if healthcare and medicine could integrate positive psychology to enhance the wellbeing of patients and healthcare professionals who care for them, even during these challenging times? As positive psychology expands the scope of methodologies used and concepts incorporated, this symposium introduces the Soaringwords’ SOARING into Strength approach, highlights empirical findings across multiple locales, and provides clear strategies that participants can use within healthcare, clinical, and communal settings to help the healthcare professionals and the clients they serve to experience greater wellbeing.
To date, Soaringwords has inspired more than 500,000 ill children and families to take active roles in self-healing using a Posttraumatic growth framework. The Soaringwords SOARING into Strength model is a strength-based approach which encompasses: Shifting mental models from helplessness to strength, building Optimism, encouraging Altruism through pay-it-forward activities, learning strategies to recognize and amplify Resilience, and the healing power of Imagery, Narrative and Gratitude.
Presenters: Lisa Buksbaum, CEO & Founder, Soaringwords; Dr. Richard Tedeschi, expert who coined the term Posttraumatic growth; and Stacey Flanagan, Director Jersey City Department of Health & Human Services will co-facilitate an integrated symposium with each presenter focusing on specific components of a comprehensive Positive Health initiative for spanning several cities/municipalities.
Proposal: Lisa Buksbaum, Dr. Richard Tedeschi, and Stacey Flanagan will present an integrated case study based on Soaringwords’ positive psychology interventions to enhance the wellbeing of 5,000 children, families, adults, and healthcare professionals in Jersey City; Silicon Valley; and Tampa. Since 2000, Soaringwords has motivated people from all walks of life to take active roles in self-healing through immersive SOARING into Strength Positive Health Initiatives. The team will present qualitative and quantitative findings that demonstrate the impact of positive interventions on strengths-finding, the five domains of Posttraumatic growth, and altruistic interventions on people grappling with a) the challenges of serious illness, b) extreme poverty, and c) healthcare professions experiencing fatigue as a result of COVID. Dr. Tedeschi will discuss the importance of teaching and modeling the five domains of Posttraumatic growth (Relatedness to people/valuing relationships more; Personal strength/feeling stronger than ever before; Heightened appreciation of life; New possibilities; and Renewed spirituality/religious connection/existential experiences) and present the findings from healthcare professionals and the clients of social service agencies. Director Flanagan and Lisa will co-present inputs, obstacles, and findings from implementing a successful multi-year community mental health initiative offered to the 270,000 Jersey City residents featuring the following components: 1) professional training initiative that was part of the World Economic Forum Healthy Cities and Communities pilot designed to bolster the wellbeing and mental health resources for Jersey City Health & Human Service professionals; 2) an eight-week Summer Series for Jersey City residents; 3) a series for leaders of Jersey City faith-based communities; and 4) a targeted initiative funded by the NJ State Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch to support 600 Jersey City students in several schools who witnessed a mass shooting/terror attack. Lisa will present findings from a one-year Silicon Valley SOARING into Strength Positive Health initiative among 16 leading community non-profit organizations and a month-long initiative in the Tampa Bay Community in collaboration with several Health & Human Service agencies and community foundations. This presentation illuminates the impact that positive interventions can have on a individuals, organizations, and at the communal level as suggested by the work of Niemiec, R. Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners (Hogrefe, 2017); Tedeschi, R. Transformed by Trauma: Stories of Posttraumatic Growth (2020); Tedeschi. R. Posttraumatic Growth: Theory, Research, and Applications (Taylor Francis, 2018).
Biographies:
Lisa Buksbaum is an intuitive healer, well-loved inspirational speaker, workshop leader and master teacher who has shared her wisdom with more than 500,000 people through the SOARING into Strength Positive Health initiative. Three experiences with death and illness in her family during a ten-month period motivated her to launch Soaringwords, a global non-profit organization that inspires children, families, adults and healthcare professionals to take active roles in self-healing. She’s been featured as an expert on ABC News, Fortune Small Business, USA Today, & The Chronicle of Philanthropy. She’s led workshops at Accenture, Cisco, Eli Lilly, Facebook, Google, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, New York Life, SONY, and Verizon. Lisa graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania; holds an MBA in marketing/Columbia University; Masters of Applied Positive Psychology/University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Certificate in Narrative Medicine/Columbia Univ. College of Physicians and Surgeons; Certificate from the American Institute of Mental Imagery (AIMI). Lisa lives in NYC.
Richard G. Tedeschi is a licensed psychologist specializing in bereavement and trauma and Professor Emeritus at UNC Charlotte where he was on the core faculty for 42 years. With his colleague Lawrence Calhoun, Dr. Tedeschi has published books and scholarly articles on posttraumatic growth, an area of research that they developed that examines personal transformations in the aftermath of traumatic life events. Dr. Tedeschi serves as the Distinguished Chair, Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth. Rich received his B.A. in Psychology from Syracuse University, his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Ohio University, and completed his Clinical Psychology Internship at The University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Tedeschi serves as a consultant to the American Psychological Association on trauma and resilience, and as a subject matter expert for the US Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program. He is a recipient of the Mary G. Clarke Award for Distinguished Service to Psychology given by the North Carolina Psychological Association, and is past President of NCPA.
Stacey L. Flanagan is the Director of The City of Jersey City’s award winning Department or Health and Human Services that serves 270,000 residents. Jersey City is honored as the pilot site for a World Economic Forum (WEF) Healthy Cities and Communities initiative. Prior to this, Stacey was the Director of Neighborhood WIC at Public Health Solutions. As part of her position, she worked to bring innovative programming to the organization's Women, Infants, and Children supplemental food program (WIC) and the WIC Vendor Management Agency. In addition, Stacey spent years as a Part-time Faculty Member at New School Graduate Program for International Affairs where she taught courses on program development and research methods. Her work history includes Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters where she implemented a franchise-style direct service program in 16 states, working in cooperation with Executive Directors to provide protocol, licensing and contract agreements. She also served as the Mandel Fellow at The Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management). Stacey coordinated a national training program for the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool and Meeting the Collaboration Challenge while implementing a new training component to the Foundation’s programming. She graduated Michigan State University with a BA in Political Science, and holds an MS in Nonprofit Management from Milano the New School for Urban Policy and Management.