Harnessing Character Strengths … in a Cultural Sensitive Manner

In the past decades we have seen a shift from a problem-focused approach to a strengths-based approach. The approach aims to identify and further develop these talents, qualities and character strengths in a person or an organization. Character strengths are positive personality traits that manifest in our thinking, our feelings, our desires, and our actions. They reflect our core identity and contribute to positive outcomes for ourselves and for others, at an individual and a communal level. The VIA Classification of Character Strengths is widely used in positive psychology to help individuals recognize and cultivate their personal strengths. The model identifies 24 character strengths and  over the past two decades, the VIA model has proven highly applicable in both research and practice. There are now more than 700 published studies covering domains such as positive mental health, organizational behavior, education, and cross-cultural psychology.

In this workshop, we will further explore the topic of character strengths and how strengths can be cultivated in a cultural sensitive manner, based on empirical findings and on the work of Dr. T. Hendriks. In addition, we will practice several character strengths-based activities.

This course is part of Studium Generale's Mental Health Course Programme.