TLU Resources

The present study aimed to identify which school-based positive psychology interventions are effective for increasing children’s well-being; synthesize existing interventions; and summarize the quality of identified studies. This systematic literature review includes publications up to August 2020, retrieved from the PsycINFO, ERIC and Scopus databases. This review comprises fifteen studies that fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of the interventions, programs and curricula that aimed to promote children’s well-being focused on elements of subjective well-being, and their effects remained in the short and long-term. Most of the programs that showed a positive effect on well-being were delivered by teachers, which may have enhanced the success of the programs. To be effective, the content of interventions can include a single component or multiple components of well-being. Further research is needed to verify the impact of the effects on well-being through follow-up assessments. The overall quality of the reports is adequate, but most of them lack a randomized controlled design.

Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Mindfulness reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves cognitive and social outcomes in both youth and adults. However, little is known whether mindfulness can mitigate against the adverse neurobiological and psychological effects of ELS. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of conducting a group mindfulness intervention in adolescents with ELS and provide preliminary indication of potential effects on stress-related biomarkers and mental health symptoms.

"If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive."—Audre Lorde In this critical autoethnography I will explore the theoretical underpinnings of the imposter syndrome, stereotype threat, and intersectionality to give voice to my lived experiences as a young, Black woman in the predominately middle-aged, White, male academy. While retelling the stories of both my childhood and young adulthood, I will speak my truth while connecting theory to praxis. I will also explain how I overcame imposter syndrome and stereotype threat by reconceptualizing the definition of a scholar. In the spirit of the opening quote from Audre Lorde, I had to define myself for myself to both survive and thrive. Finally, I will offer several recommendations for women of color to consider as they navigate their own space and place in the elusive ivory tower.

Modern investigations in the field of neuroscience have revealed that, contrary to long held beliefs, the brain has a remarkable capacity to adapt its structure and function throughout the life span. These adaptations are mediated by experience induced changes in the synaptic strength of neural connections, a process referred to as europlasticity. This review presents evidence of how knowledge of the brain’s plastic property can be applied to ameliorate deficits resulting from acquired brain damage and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as to counter the neural degeneration associated with normal ageing. A vast number of promoting and constraining factors can modulate the extent and efficiency of neuroplasticity. This review examines the current state of knowledge of three of these variables: the degree of damage, the timing of interventions, and the attentional and motivational states of the individual. These variables are discussed in terms of how they can serve to facilitate or inhibit neuroplasticity. Furthermore, it is described how a detailed understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the influence of these variables can be translated to clinical research and practice, and ultimately optimise functional outcome.

Abstract: Background: The negative aftermath of acquired disability has been studied rigorously. The research on achievement and success after an acquired disability is still in its infancy, and more research is needed on the positive psychological outcomes that may arise as a result of surviving and dealing with trauma. Objective: This study aimed to provide an in-depth account of the experience of acquired disability, engagement in elite sport and Posttraumatic Growth in Paralympic athletes. Method: Three self-selected athletes (two females, one male) from Great Britain's 2012 Paralympic team were interviewed using semi-structured techniques. The interviews were recorded, and the data was transcribed. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: The study identified that for these athletes, sport was a fundamental route to experiencing posttraumatic growth (PTG). Sport was perceived to be a platform of recovery, camaraderie, achievements and the basis for a new identity as an athlete.Furthermore, the team was seen as a resource, creating a safe environment in which to learn new skills, share practical ideas and promote a sense of equality. Additionally, the role of the body in facilitating PTG was central to these individuals’ experiences. Considerations of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Saul W. Brown and Anthony M. Grant Despite considerable organisational development research and practice suggesting that interventions in organisations should also be targeted at the group level, most organisational coaching is dyadic (one-to-one) and few models of group coaching have been developed. In Part I of this paper we present an introductory overview of group coaching and compare it to other group-based interventions. We distinguish between the goal-focused nature of group coaching and the process-orientation of group facilitation, and posit that group coaching has important but under-used potential as a means of creating goal-focused change in organisational contexts. In Part II of this paper we address practice issues and we present a practical model of GROUP (Goal, Reality, Options, Understanding others, Perform) coaching that integrates the well-known GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward) coaching framework with Scharma's U process for group dialogue, double loop learning and other theoretically-grounded practices. From a practitioner's perspective, we draw on the extant literature, we compare group coaching to other team and group-based interventions. Although precisely distinguishing between different group-based change modalities is difficult, we argue that group coaching is a more goal directed process than group facilitation, and that group coaching has important but under-used potential as a means of creating change in organizational contexts.

We propose to bridge the domains of positive health and leadership. We suggest that a “positive” health model helps explain highly effective leadership. The leader must strive for health and facilitate health in his/her followers. We look at leadership through this new and positive lens, that of “positive” health promotion.

"he paper explores the rationale for, and potential benefits of, the inclusion of a coaching psychology module in an undergraduate psychology programme. In 2010 a coaching psychology module was introduced at Glasgow Caledonian University, as an optional module for final year psychology degree students. Although providing a strong academic component, the module was primarily skills-based and driven by the GROW model (Whitmore, 1992). Students spent two-thirds of the module in seminars/workshops where they carried out practical skills-based development and one-third in lectures. In order to evaluate the module written feedback was elicited from all students (N=20) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Feedback from the module was highly positive, with students demonstrating both academic and practical learning. Key findings indicate that the experience of being both coachee and coach in peer-to-peer coaching exercises enabled students to apply psychological principles and to make progress on personal goals. They also reported an improved awareness of the degree to which they could demonstrate key competencies related to employability via the acquisition of coaching psychology skills. The paper argues that this multiplicity of learning outcomes makes coaching psychology a highly valuable addition to any undergraduate psychology programme, with the potential to become a core aspect of the undergraduate psychology syllabus."

Life coaching lacks a clear ontology of its range and depth. What is clear though is that people seek life coaching to make changes in their lives. One kind of change is frequently demonstrated in Gestalt psychology: when looking at a picture, perception dictates what you see as ‘figure’ and what as ‘ground’ and it is not possible to see both simultaneously. Then a ‘switch’ happens and the perception of figure and ground reverses, resulting in an ‘Aha’ moment. In this research I was interested to explore whether the psychological ‘Aha’ moment is fundamental to the transformational change sought by the ‘Co-Active’ model of life coaching (Whitworth et al, 1998). A phenomenological methodology was used that reduced first-person accounts to common themes through a grounded theory analysis. Co-Active coaches gathered data from client participants: diaries captured the lived experience of the Aha moment, and questionnaires and interviews conveyed the lingering effects of the moment on beliefs and behaviour. Each phase – diaries, questionnaires and interviews, informed the next. Findings reveal that the ‘Aha’ moment is experienced somatically and emotionally as well as cognitively, with the striking of many chords across a spectrum of consciousness from body, to mind, to soul, to spirit (Wilber 1989). The more chords it strikes, the greater the resonance and degree of cognitive and behavioural change.