Practicing positive psychiatrie
A highly practical book for all mental health professionals wanting to know how to apply positive psychiatry in their daily work
Positive psychiatry is the science and practice of psychiatry and clinical psychology that seeks to understand and promote wellbeing among people who have or are at high risk of developing mental health problems. In this new approach, the person takes center stage, not the disease, and the focus is not only on repairing the worst, but also on creating the best in our patients.
The authors from the fields of medicine and clinical psychology present over 40 applications and many cases and stories to illustrate the four pillars of positive psychiatry: positive psychology, solution-focused brief therapy, the recovery-oriented approach, and nonspecific factors. The book shows how mental health professionals can significantly increase patient collaboration to co-create preferred outcomes through discovering possibilities and competencies and through building hope, optimism, and gratitude.
Essential reading for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, other professionals working in the field of mental health care as well as students who want to take a positive focus to make psychiatry faster, lighter, and yes, more fun. We have high hopes that positive psychiatry will become a firm part of the psychiatry of the future.
“We congratulate the authors on having done an outstanding job in packaging a subject matter that we share as the core of psychiatry practice and research. It is our belief that positive psychiatry and a focus on wellness can produce lasting results, augmented by psychopharmacologiy and various other treatments. This book defines a critical time point in the evolution of psychiatry.”
Dilip V. Jeste and Varsha D. Badal
MD, Past President of the American Psychiatric Association / PhD, University of California San Diego
“Fredrike Bannink and Frenk Peeters have created a practical resource where different perspectives that put the promotion of well-being before the reduction of symptoms are brought together. The entire book is packed with useful clinical vignettes, cases, applications, and stories that help contextualize and apply its contents. It is an excellent tool to get introduced to this field in a practical way but without forgetting its theoretical foundations.”
Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa, PhD, Ramón y Cajal
Researcher and Professor, Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Barcelona, Spain
“This volume provides psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners with new ways to support recovery and well-being. Numerous stories and case studies illustrate how positive mental health and solution-focused approaches are used in practice, and the book is full of guidance underpinned by scientific evidence. This is a valuable book for anyone working to support people with mental health issues.”
Mike Slade, PhD
Professor of Mental Health Recovery and Social Inclusion, University of Nottingham, UK