Research supports the "broaden and build" nature of positive emotions on child socio-emotional outcomes. This article describes three lesson plans that can promote learning while helping students express positive emotions.

Coaches have the possibility to shape their athletes' experiences in sport and build a strong skillset, particularly the growth of mental toughness. It is important for athletes to develop the mental and physical components needed to overcome obstacles and maintain consistency. This article provides strategies for high school coaches to implement…

A teacher serves many important roles within a classroom, including an educator and a manager of child behavior. Inattention, overactivity, and noncompliance have long been cited as some of the most common areas of reported difficulty for schools (Axelrod & Zank, 2012; Goldstein, 1995). The evidence-based practice of positive attending (i.e.,…

The AISD student climate survey provides the opportunity to monitor students' opinions regarding topics such as behavioral environment, adult fairness and respect, student academic self-confidence, teacher expectations, student engagement, and social emotional learning (SEL) skills. [For "Student Climate Survey Results: Spring 2017,…

This article offers a brief overview of the causes and manifestations of performance anxiety and suggests methods for professors to combat it in the studio setting. The topics of mentoring, physical and mental relaxation, dietary health, and imaging are explored. Primary source material is referred to throughout the article, so readers can easily…

Positive psychology has received increasing attention in rehabilitation counseling research and practice. The rehabilitation counseling philosophy shares a similar emphasis of personal assets and strengths, which provides a solid foundation for the integration of positive psychology into the professional practice of rehabilitation counseling. In…

The field of positive psychology has been interested in gratitude and documenting its benefits on well-being. Research has shown that people who experience gratitude have a variety of positive outcomes including more positive emotions such as joy, love, and happiness; fewer negative emotions such as bitterness, envy, and resentment; increased…

Adolescence is a developmental stage characterized by rapid and complex changes. Adolescents experiencing psychological concerns commonly benefit from participating in counseling. The authors present a model that is an integrated strengths-based approach in which the adolescent actively identifies his or her personal strengths.

Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion resulting from chronic stress. It is characterized by feelings of alienation, indifference, and low self-regard, a loss of interest in work, and an inability to perform one's day-to-day job duties. Burnout within the teaching profession has been recognized as a serious problem.…

In recent years, bullying seems to have become more serious and more pervasive. Research indicates that 15% to 20% of all students are victimized by bullies at some point in their school careers. Clearly, bullying is a problem that schools must recognize and address. Bullying has three distinguishing characteristics: (1) it is intentional; (2) it…

Research into genetic, psychosocial, and cognitive explanations for depression (biopsychosocial models) provides support for the role of these variables in the etiology of depression. Regularly identified as basic to depression is loss, and the experience of loss has been found to be more influential than genetic factors in the causation of…

Positive behavior support (PBS) represents an empirically driven concern with quality of life (QOL), support through systems change, and linkage to multiple behavioral, social, and biomedical sciences. The major impediments to QOL are problem behavior, skill deficits, and dysfunctional systems. A model for addressing dysfunctional systems is…

This article discusses three focal areas in promoting positive youth development (PYD) in schools: positive people, positive places, and positive opportunities. Given school personnel workload and federal policies that emphasize academic achievement, it remains a goal to focus on holistic adolescent outcomes and school outcomes that increase both…

Educators, particularly those who work with students outside the classroom, are trained to identify and correct problems. This approach typically addresses gaps in skills but does not identify and exploit personal strengths. In this article, the authors argue that institutions and the students who attend them would be better served by…

A social worker and a psychologist, working with troubled youth in a day treatment setting, describe unique ways to use the concepts of Positive Peer Culture (PPC) to facilitate groups from the elementary to high school levels. The authors have adapted the well-known PPC concepts and incorporated them into their strength-based program, SPLASH, to…