DaveShearon

What good is a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, Part 2

In March, 2006, as my classmates and I were moving toward graduation as the first-ever MAPP class, I wrote a post entitled "What good is a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology?"  Stats for this site show that a fair number of folks search for information about such programs, and find that post.  So, I thought it was time for an update.

It's been over two years since graduation.  I have a better picture of what MAPP was for me,  and here are some key areas where MAPP has been good for me:

Relationships:  The relationships I made were amazing.  I established friendships with many of my classmates, and many of those have deepened since.  As I have met those in later classes, I have sensed much the same kind of connections forming in their classes, and it has been amazingly easy to connect across classes.  This may sound syrupy or superficial, but it is true.  I am not talking about some kind of utopian perfection of community, just real folks whom I like, respect, and enjoy working with.  If you think about Barb Fredrickson's "Broaden & Build" theory and then imagine a group of people getting together with the intention of being positive and learning to be more positive together, perhaps this will make more sense. 

A Base for Learning:  I continue to add to my knowledge and refine my own integration of positive psychology principles.  For example, we did not do a lot with emotional intelligence and only had a brief introduction to Appreciative Inquiry, but I've studied both in more depth over the last two years.  I have also seen similar continued learning in many of my classmates.

A Base for New Action:  I have had the opportunity to work with CLE programs, bar initiatives, and work in school systems because of MAPP.  Some of this work has been way outside my previous range (Australia, for example) but some of it has been right in the core of my work with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.  For example, I do a strengths-based annual planning session with each of my staff.  The full range of such options is still unfolding, but it has already been exciting and enjoyable.

Continuing Contact with Researchers:  MAPP alumni efforts provide periodic conference calls and other opportunities to hear from leading researchers, both those who taught in the program and others.  The International Positive Psychology Association also offers opportunities.  And, through my own contacts, I have been able to learn from and work with researchers in the field.  When I have needed to contact researchers in my projects, they have been gracious and helpful in responding.

Personal Well-Being:  I am happier, more optimistic, and more attuned to my strengths and the strengths of others.  I enjoy and appreciate my family, colleagues, and friends more.  I continue to work to apply what I have learned personally, and often it is my classmates who give me insights in how to move forward.

So, if you have found this site because you are considering the MAPP program at Penn, or even one of the newer programs at other schools, I hope these reflections from a little further down my personal path will be of assistance.  Don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to talk about it more.  And good luck!

I am grateful for opportunities to apply positive psychology!

I have had wonderful opportunities to apply positive psychology in recent months, and the schedule ahead suggests those opportunities will continue:

Culver Academies Faculty Workshop, Culver, IN, 6/11-13, 2007 (Workshop)

Culver Summer Camps Staff Workshop, Culver, IN, 6/13-15, 2007 (Workshop)

The Lawrenceville School Positive Psychology Conference, Lawrenceville, NJ, 6/16-18 (Participant)

United Kingdom Teacher Training, Penn Resiliency Program, Philadelphia,  PA, 7/21-8/3/2007 (Facilitator)

Tennessee District Attorney Generals Conference, Capital Case Litigation Conference, Nashville, TN, 8/6/2007 (Speaker)

Penn Center for School Study Councils, South Jersey Superintendents Study Council, Sewell, New Jersey, 9/11/2007(Workshop)

"Positive Psychology and the Law",  Nashville School of Law,  6:30 pm, 9/26/2007 (Speaker)

Coaches Workshop, Culver Academy, Culver, IN, 10/3-4/2007 (Consulting)

"Getting to 'Why?'"  TBA Young Lawyers Division seminar, 10/25/2007

Victim/Witness Services Retreat, Nashville DA's Officce, 10/19/2007 (Workshop)

"Lawyers as Peacemakers, Lawyers as Problemsolvers", Memphis, TN, 10/28-29/2007 (Speaker)

"Government Lawyers CLE", Nashville Bar Association, 11/30/2007 (Speaker)

Penn Center for School Study Councils, South Jersey Superintendents Study Council, Sewell, New Jersey, 12/11/2007(Workshop)

Wellbeing at Geelong Grammar School, Australia, 1/21-31/2008 (Facilitator for faculty training)

Penn Center for School Study Councils, South Jersey Superintendents Study Council, Sewell, New Jersey, 2/12/2008 (Speaker)

"A Great Start", TBA Young Lawyers Seminar Nashville, TN (webcast to Memphis and Knoxville)2/15/2008 (Speaker) 

Penn Center for School Study Councils, South Jersey Superintendents Study Council, New Jersey, 5/13/2008 (Workshop)

Congratulations, Yakov!

Congratulations to MAPP classmate Yakov Smirnoff!

senia.com

I've just learned that one of my classmates has just started a blog.  Click on senia.com on the left and go by and see her.  She is really smart, really insightful, and leads wonderful stretching exercises during class breaks!

GRADUATION!

The beautiful and patient Teresa and I flew to Philly yesterday so I could attend the MAPP program reception and then the College of General Studies graduation ceremony.  We flew out at 7:25 a.m. and, due to a delayed return flight, weren't home until around 11:30 p.m.  Tired, but happy.  I really enjoyed getting to introduce T to so many of my classmates (29 of 34 made it for the ceremony!)  As I told her, they, along with some fabulous faculty, are what made the program so special.  Two of them have consented to be featured on the CGS website, so check here or here if you'd like to learn more.

Appreciative Inquiry

David Cooperrider, developer of Appreciative Inquiry was the guest speaker in our Organizational Leadership class this weekend.  Really interesting.  Especially that it really grew out of being aware of what was happening in a field experience.  In other words, he didn't go out and develop it.  He saw something happening and had the sense to see that it was different and to think about it, then go with it.  And then it began to fit with theory, and more theory developed, and mechanisms were developed, tested and improved.  And now it's a VERY different approach to large-scale change in organizations.

Building the Bridge as You Walk on It

I'm almost finished with Building the Bridge as You Walk on It by Robert Quinn.  The subtitle is "A Guide to Leading Change."  However, if you think you're not interested, think again.  Quinn's approach and thinking are so different that executives come up after his programs and say, "I only wish I'd learned this when my children were young!"  And, Dr. Quinn finds his insights to be applicable to parenting, also.  He shares, with their permission, an experience with both his son and his daughter in the book, and what they wrote about those experiences.  The experience with his daughter came as they dealt with a breakup with a boyfriend, and from it she found purpose in her life, increased peace, poise, and success at work and in relationships! 

Also, if you'd like to know why the superintendent of almost any major school system in this country is NOT a "change agent", read the story of the executive that attended one of Dr. Quinn's week-long workshops that is in Chapter Nine on "Authentic Engagement."  (The story of the Mom with a daughter who didn't like homework that opens that chapter is powerful, also!)

What good is a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology?

Miriam, in a comment, has asked:

Feb. 2006, What are you doing (employment) with your Master of Applied Positive Psy? I am a teacher in Alaska and am very interested in the OTHER job possibilities for this Masters .
I'm 56 and want a change. How has your journey been and where are you in your quest for education?

Short answer:  I don't know yet.

Longer answer:  The MAPP degree is recognition of both study and practice in understanding and applying the findings of positive psychology in the business or professional venues.  I've been assessing what I think I will come out of this program with, and the answers include:

• A broad and correct (straight from the minds of some of the best in the field) grasp of what is happening in positive psychology research and implementation today
• A basic understanding of the current state of social science research and the ability to continue to read new studies as they come out, place them in context, get a sense of what each means, and integrate that knowledge in my own framework
• Experience with applied positive psychology in both individual and organizational settings
• Relationships I'll be able to call on both with the leading researchers who have taught in the program and with my classmates (a pretty formidable group!)
• A credential that will at least be recognized (and likely thought well of) by many that I have not yet met in the field of positive psychology when I meet them or need to contact them in the future
• A chance of being called in when my particular experience and knowledge makes me a good fit for some situation that the instructors in these courses may come across
• Sufficient knowledge and skills to start to apply positive psychology immediately in my fields

Over the longer term, I think the meaning and value of a MAPP will depend on what those of us in this class, and those who complete the program over the next few years, do with it.  As we contribute solid work in our fields, the MAPP program will receive credit and the value of the degree will go up.

But, you should understand it is not a credential for any sort of licensure and, at least so far, I haven't seen employers lining up with job descriptions listing "MAPP" as a requirement!  Those who participate in this program get a wonderful chance to get in on building the ground floor of something really important both individually and to organizations and communities.  But, since you're helping design and build from the ground up, you just can't walk in, push a button, and ride the elevator up a few floors!  It'll take creativity, imagination, vitality, and a certain amount of risk-taking to translate the opportunity represented by the MAPP program into real changes in your life.  But, I think I can say with confidence that you, personally, are far likelier to be in a position to exercise those qualities as a result of your experience in the program. 

Good luck to any who are thinking about this program, and don't hesitate to contact me!

Penn Snow Pics

Last weekend's Northeast snow storm stranded me for a day in Philly, but I got some  pics of the University of Pennsylvania campus in the snow!

Advice to a fictional school board

As noted a couple of posts below, one of our assignments for this MAPP session is to think about how we might advise a school board interested in "integrating positive psychology into the curriculum."  Here are my notes:

Curriculum?  One word:  fuhgedaboutit!  Ok, ok, that's a little negative.  But, seriously, there are enough curriculum mandates floating around.  There's a better approach.

First, recognize that your system already has strengths.  School psychologists may know about this.   Some of your teachers may have read The Optimistic Child, The Happiness Hypothesis, Authentic Happiness, or Learned Optimism.  Some of your younger teachers may have even taken one of the Introduction to Positive Psychology courses now being offered in many universities.  So, find those strengths and set out to support and enhance them.

Second, model what you want.  If you want teachers to learn, be learners yourself.  Model how positive psychology can be applied in an organizational setting.  I'll be happy to participate in a book club with any of you who are interested, hold some discussion sessions, or whatever you think might help you learn and apply some of what we now know.

Third:  teacher-led instructional improvement!  Not a new program, but a new trust for teachers.  Help them learn and grow, make time for them to work together, and ask them to use what they learn to create better, healthier, more engaging schools for our students.  Then watch for ways to support the efforts that emerge.  You'll like the results.

That's it.  Three simple suggestions with a wealth of ways to implement.  Good luck and thank you.  I think you can do great things for our children.