DOES YOUR STRENGTHS-BASED PRACTICE HAVE LEGS?...• Wellsprings for a life well-lived. • Pathways to happiness and wellbeing. • Capacities for shaping thinking, feeling and behavior

PCB Conference : April 2019

DOES YOUR STRENGTHS-BASED PRACTICE HAVE LEGS?

Aware:

VIA Character Strengths and core concepts.

Science and benefits behind approach.

Mindsets

Explore:

Character strengths matter.

Your character strengths.

Tailor interventions to each client

Apply:

Character strengths interventions.

Implementation examples.

Personal strengths practice.

Professional strengths practice.

OBJECTIVES

AGENDA

AWARE

What & Why

Video: “Science of Character”

Exercise: “1 Minute Strengths / Strengths Spotting”

- break -

EXPLORE

Aware / Explore / Apply Model

Strength Paradox

VIA Survey

Make it Personal

Signature Strengths

Strength Blindness

Video: “6:58 Poem”

Exercise: “Signature Strengths in New Ways”

- break -

APPLY

Being / Doing

Character Strength Interventions

Implementation Examples – Spirit Life Rehab

Video: “Rodney”

Personal and Professional Strengths Practice

Exercise: Apply Strengths to Life Challenges”

INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Utilized in many industries:

Education; Business; Coaching; Health Care; Personal Development

Remain untapped resource in SUD/Recovery.

Roots in Positive Psychology

Work from what people are good at.

Harness the power of the Paradigm Shift.

Character Strengths Matter!

AWARE - WHAT ARE CHARACTER STRENGTHS?

VIA Institute VIA Classification VIA Survey

Advancing Science

and Practice

Founded: 2000

3 Years, 55 Scientists

2600 Years of “Goodness”

Over 500 scientific

Publications

Evidence-based practices

Every

15 Seconds

Since 2004

Over 7,000,000

All countries

STRENGTH-BASED CHECKLIST

Niemiec, Ryan M. (2018). Character Strengths Interventions - A Field Guide for Practitioners. Boston, MA : Hogrefe.

What are Character Strengths?


Talents ResourcesSkills Interests

CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Who are you at your core?

What are you

good at?

What are your

know hows?

What are your

passions and hobbies?

What are your

supports?


• What is best in you.

• Most positive human qualities.

• Basic elements of your identify.

• Who you are at your core; the authentic you.

• Personality traits others tend to admire and respect.

• Wellsprings for a life well-lived.

• Pathways to happiness and wellbeing.

• Capacities for shaping thinking, feeling and behavior.

“ Positive traits or capacities that are personally fulfilling, do not diminish others,

ubiquitous and valued across cultures and aligned with numerous positive

outcomes for self and others.”

Character Strengths

– Niemiec 2017

VIA CLASSIFICATION OF 24 CHARACTER STRENGTHS

From: VIACharacter.org

http://VIACharacter.org


Science of character video – 8 minutes

Fixed/Growth Mindset:

You can determine your character; CS can be developed

You can develop happy, successful life and experience well-

being and produce positive outcomes for self and others

Each person has unique combo of strengths and everyone

has every strength, maybe to different degrees, frequencies of

occurrence, intensities and vary in different environments

Not good or bad, and occur in combinations

Video: https://youtu.be/BdQRECe37K0

https://youtu.be/BdQRECe37K0


• Neuroplasticity.

• Fixed/Growth Mindset.

• All Character Strengths Matter

• Character Strengths can be developed.

• Each person has unique combo of strengths.

• Everyone has every strength to different degrees.


Common Language / Classification

“What’s Wrong?” “What’s Right?”


EXERCISE

“1 Minute Strengths”

AWARE - WHY CHARACTER STRENGTHS?

Why Character Strengths?


Negativity bias in brain and body. Baumeister et al. (2001); Rozin & Royzman (2001) Bad is stronger than good


Negative is sticky and contagious!


Auto-Pilot


Benefits associated with using strengths:Happier

Work Satisfaction

Self-Esteem & Self-Efficacy

Confidence

Vitality

Greater Life Fulfillment

Improves Relationships

Buffer, Manage, Overcome Problems

Manage Stress

Resilience

Health and Wellbeing


From: Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish, New York, NY : Free Press


Identity

Collective

Good

Positive

Outcomes

Counterbalance


Not Happyology

Focusing on positives does not mean ignoring negatives.


So why character strengths?

Counterbalance brain’s negative bias.

Intentionally positive.

Balance perspectives. (+ AND -)

Integrate with models of how people change.

Authentic best self.

Enjoyable approach.

Well-being boost.

Change your life towards what is good.

Bring benefits to others.

Transform clinical practice.


Which character strengths?

AWARE - CHARACTER STRENGTHS

EXERCISE

“Strengths Spotting”

Q: What went well this week?

Label the strength Note behavior / rational Express appreciation

Explore Character Strengths.

EXPLORE CHARACTER STRENGTHS


Aware:From auto-pilot to awareness.

Explore:From general awareness to deeper insight.

Apply:From insight to positive action.

Strength-Based Model

Niemiec, Ryan M. (2013). Mindfulness and Character Strengths. A Practical Guide to Flourishing. Boston, MA : Hogrefe.


Strengths Paradox

High potential for benefit, yet unware

TO SOLVE:

Celebrating

Challenging

Express

Endorsing

Exploring

Take the VIA

Feeling the Positive

Discussing/Appreciating

Preconscious

Conscious

Subconscious

EXPLORE CHARACTER STRENGTHS?

1: Creativity

2: Curiosity

3: Humor

4: Love

5: Perspective

6: Honesty

7: Appreciation of

Beauty & Excellence

8: Fairness

9: Judgment

10: Kindness

11: Humility

12: Gratitude

EXXPLORE CHARACTER STRENGTHS?

13: Hope

14: Social intelligence

15: Bravery

16: Leadership

17: Love of learning

18: Zest

19: Prudence

20: Forgiveness

21: Spirituality

22: Teamwork

23: Perseverance

24: Self-Regulation

TOP

5


Character Strengths Subsets

Signature Strengths

Middle Strengths

Lesser Strengths

Phasic Strengths

Strengths Synergies

Supportive Strengths

Happiness Strengths

Overused / Underused Strengths

Eroded Strengths

Lost or Forgotten Strengths

Unappreciated Strengths

Strengths Collisions


Your Client Says,

“I took the VIA Survey… Now what?”

Ask questions and listen carefully.

Get to know person through strengths-based lens.

Explore and validate who person is in strengths context.

Do not interpret or conclude.

Discuss feelings and normalize reactions.

Educate about VIA survey and what it reveals in context


Correct Misconceptions:

Lower strengths are weaknesses.

Some strengths are better than others.

“I don’t have any strengths.”

“My strengths are not important or unique.”

Negative hyper-focus on several VIA questions.


Collaborate with client to connect to CS:

Connect to client’s CS.

Client connects CS to his/her world.

The reason for coming to see you.

Pathways to reach goals.

Other domains of client’s life.


Make it personal.

Remember what you said you wanted?

You said you wanted ___________.

It is very common for people to _________.

There are ways to __________ by using CS.

I want to share some pathways to help you _________,

and this is where CS will fit in.

CS are ingredients of _____________.

SS and other CS can be used to help you _________.

CS are the ingredients of good ______________.

So to tap into your CS will have positive impact on ___________.

APPLY CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Niemiec, Ryan M. (2018). Character Strengths Interventions - A Field Guide for Practitioners. Boston, MA : Hogrefe.

Modalities:


Signature Strengths

Essential • Energizing • Easy


Signature Strengths

Essential to who person is.

Energizing versus exhausting.

Easy versus difficult to develop and use.

Naturally emerge across life domains.

Usually in top of person’s VIA profile.

Over 5.1 million possible SS combinations

Linked with: Your Authentic Self. Unique You!

explore CHARACTER STRENGTHS

Levels of Strengths Blindness

1. Lack of general introspection.

2. Can articulate strengths, but external and not substantive.

3. Some awareness of CS but takes for granted or dismisses.


Video: 6:58 https://youtu.be/cEXxcEKPu5c

https://youtu.be/cEXxcEKPu5c


EXERCISE

“Apply Signature Strengths to Challenging Situation”

Apply Character Strengths


Being Doing


Video: “Re-building a Life Through Character Strengths” https://youtu.be/sZJG3atoc6Q

https://youtu.be/sZJG3atoc6Q

APPLY CHARACTER STRENGTHS PRACTICE

Review CSI Exercises*

CSI Handouts*

Facility Implementation

*Niemiec, Ryan M. (2018). Character Strengths Interventions - A Field Guide for Practitioners. Boston, MA : Hogrefe.


Practices to develop your personal strengths.

Recognizing

and

Appreciating

in others

Exploring

and Using

Your SS

Applying Your

SS to Life

Challenges

Developing

Strengths

Habit.

Niemiec, Ryan M. and McGrath, Robert E. (2019). The Power of Character Strengths. Appreciate and Ignite your Positive Personality.


Set a Goal.

Review Set a Plan

What action will

you take?

Obstacles and

Opportunities.

Take ActionReady, Set, Go!

Practices to develop your professional strengths.

Niemiec, Ryan M. and McGrath, Robert E. (2019). The Power of Character Strengths. Appreciate and Ignite your Positive Personality.


EXERCISE

“How Might You Use What You Have Learned In Your Setting?”

Thank You!

Documents

DOES YOUR STRENGTHS-BASED PRACTICE HAVE LEGS?...• Wellsprings for a life well-lived. • Pathways to happiness and wellbeing. • Capacities for shaping thinking, feeling and behavior