Positive Psychology Forum PREVIEW in Washingon, DC

Suzann Pileggi, MAPP '08, is a wellness writer and consultant. She is a monthly columnist for the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) newsletter and Wisdom magazine, and a certified holistic health counselor. Suzann's website.

Suzann's articles are here.

Health and Positive Psychology

A healthy body is integral to a healthy mind. Research supports a strong mind-body link to psychological and physical health. Psychologists Guy Faulkner from the University of Toronto and Nanette Mutrie from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow argue physical health is “important to how we think, feel, and behave.” And, psychologist Richard Shusterman, director of the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at Florida Atlantic University, emphasizes we can live better and more productive lives by engaging in somatic interventions like self-care that promote mind-body harmony and health. Whether at home or at work, nurturing the mind and body is essential for optimal health.

Having working in the corporate world for over a decade before leaving to pursue my own passion for health and wellness counseling, I realize the tremendous need and benefits of on-site wellness training to increasing employee health and morale.

What better time than now, when the struggling economy – and the stress that often accompanies it – is not only taking a toll on our financial wealth, but also on our psychological and physical health, for the Positive Psychology Forum to take place. A one-day conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC on Wednesday, November 19th, the Forum “is designed to provide attendees with core concepts from the positive psychology and strengths movement that can be used to immediately drive organizations and individuals towards health literacy and engagement that promotes and sustains lifestyle behavior change,” remarked Catherine Rymsha, marketing manager of World Congress – Health & Human Capital Management Series.

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The Positive Pschology Forum
November 19, 2008
Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC
Positive Psychology News Daily (PPND) readers will receive a special discount – a $200 savings off the regular rate – to the Positive Psychology Forum by using promotional code ARA943. To register, please contact World Congress at 800-767-9499 or visit here.
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Regardless of the field in which you work, the Positive Psychology Forum is designed to offer participants – from employers to physicians groups to health plans administrators – on-the-job tools to increase employees’ overall health, well-being, and productivity. The forum will highlight strengths-based initiatives and wellness approaches that support systems and individual health literacy. Applications of the Clifton StrengthsFinder, and the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS), developed by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, will be discussed in the all-day workshops.

Conference Format & Agenda

The Positive Psychology Forum will follow a workshop format.  Complete agenda here.

7:00am – 8:00am Forum Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00am – 9:30am Rationale
9:30am – 10:00am Networking Break
10:00am – 12:00pm Content and Development
12:00pm – 1:30pm Networking Luncheon
1:30pm – 3:00pm Implementation
3:00pm – 3:30pm Networking Break
3:30pm – 5:00pm Action Plan and Evaluation
5:00pm End of Forum
 

References:

Mutrie, N., & Faulkner, G. (2004). Physical activity: Positive psychology in motion. In Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (Eds.), Positive Psychology in Pratice (pp. 146-164). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Shusterman, R. (2006). Thinking through the body, educating for the humanities: A plea for somaesthetics. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 40, 1-21.