Publications

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‘Positive psychotherapy’ (Seligman, Rashid & Parks, 2006) is an upcoming new approach and spreading into different branches of psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy. It evolved from Seligman’s Positive Psychology interventions. Both of these terms are used fairly interchangeably in the world of ‘Positive Psychology’ by researchers working in the field of divisions and aspects of Clinical Psychology. The terminology of “Positive Psychotherapy” is also known in a different context as an intervention founded by Nossrat Peseschkian in 1977: thus this term designates two signifcantly different approaches. In other words, it can be stated that one single term has been used for two different methods. Efforts have been made by the World Association of Positive Psychotherapy (WAPP) towards the clinical branch of Positive Psychology to convince them to use a different term for their application in psychotherapy in order to have a better differentiation, since the term Positive Psychotherapy has been used for decades by Peseschkian’s approach. However, no agreement has been achieved. Nevertheless, Positive Psychotherapy is a scientifc term, not a trademark. Therefore, a better understanding of the terminology, backgrounds and specifc approach features and qualities of this term could be helpful. The following article describes both approaches; differentiates between them; shows their similarities as resource-oriented approaches; and indicates their capabilities in scientifc work and possible cross-approach inspirations.

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Purpose: The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between balance model with the Wiesbaden Positive Therapy and Family Therapy Inventory (WIPPF 2) among people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Method: Participants of this study consist of 50 voluntary PTSD patients and are observed in the Psychiatry Department of Gülhane Military Hospital as either inpatients or outpatients. A control group consists of 40 volunteers with an absence of psychiatric diagnosis. Participants were asked to answer the self evaluationg scale, the Wiesbaden Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. Findings: According to the results, positive significant relations were found between BDI and body (r =,39 p <.01) and negative significant relations were found between BDI and performance (r = -,28 p <.05).

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It should be borne in mind that twins often experience a double dependence on both their parents and their twin. Children show considerable individual attachment to their parents, and the study sought to highlight the importance of personality structure and social environment in influencing anxiety responses in children. Positive psychotherapy was chosen as the method of working in both situations, and tools designed to promote the development of internal coping strategies were applied. The paper proposes a model for possible therapeutic work with twins at risk of anxiety disorders, suggesting that an empathic therapeutic approach may be useful in reducing separation anxiety in infancy.

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This article looks at how young children experience separation anxiety by comparing two real-life cases: one of a child with a strong emotional connection to the mother, and another whose father plays an active role in caregiving. The aim is to understand how different patterns of attachment and family dynamics influence the intensity of anxiety reactions. Observations were gathered through everyday behaviour monitoring, conversations with parents, and expressive techniques such as adapted emotion-rating scales and family drawing activities. The therapeutic process was based on Positive Psychotherapy, with a focus on helping the children become more aware of their emotions, build inner coping skills, and see their anxiety in a new, more manageable light. The comparison shows how varied parenting involvement can shape children’s ability to regulate emotions and build resilience when faced with separation.

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This research was conducted to explore the outcomes following the implementation of the self-help strategies recommended in “Psychological Transformation Journey and Finding Yourself Guide: 52 Weeks of Rebirth from a Positive Psychotherapy Perspective.” Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study employed a single-group pre-test-post-test design for quantitative analysis and a phenomenological approach for qualitative insights. Data collection tools included a Demographic Information Form, a Qualitative Evaluation Form, and the Positive-Negative Affect Scale. The participant pool consisted of 179 psychological counselors and their 179 clients, who varied in educational background and profession. Quantitative results indicated notable enhancements in both positive and negative affect dimensions across areas such as achievement, body image, relationships, and fantasy-spirituality. Qualitatively, the study documented changes in participants’ attitudes toward seeking psychological help, increased self-awareness, experimentation with new behaviors, enhanced social support, and self-acceptance. These findings suggest that guided self-reflection and support are critical in overcoming personal challenges and fostering growth and self-awareness, as reflected by participants’ expressed gratitude and heightened motivation to tackle personal difficulties.

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Positive Psychotherapy is currently emerging as a transcultural approach, possessing psychodynamic, humanistic, and resource-oriented characteristics. This approach incorporates a variety of unique inventories, metaphors, wise sayings, stories, and proverbs. At the heart of Positive Psychotherapy is the “Balance Model,” which aims to help individuals achieve a balanced lifestyle (Peseschkian, 2000). However, even if individuals today aim to live a balanced life, a “disconnect from the moment” can become inevitable at each stage of the Balance Model (Martos-Martinez et al., 2022; Ciarrochi, Purser, & Milillo, 2015). Especially during stressful life events, while an individual’s body may be “here,” their mind can wander to the past or the future. In such situations, mindfulness practices, which mean “staying in the moment,” help individuals refocus their minds on the present and lead a more balanced life.However, few studies systematically integrate mindfulness practices into the Balance Model of Positive Psychotherapy. Therefore, the present study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the Balance Model from a mindfulness-oriented perspective. This study aims to examine the concept of Mindfulness, which plays an important role in individuals achieving balance, from a conceptual and content perspective, and to examine its connections and areas of use from the perspective of the Balance Model of Positive Psychotherapy. The study offers an original conceptual framework that explains how mindfulness can be positioned within each domain of the Balance Model, thereby contributing theoretically to the existing literature. In this context, it seeks to provide a theoretical discussion on the underexplored relationship between mindfulness and the Balance Model. This study is designed as a narrative review.

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Suicide is a profound indicator of personal and societal distress. This article argues that the limited effectiveness of existing prevention strategies largely stems from the dominance of a reductionist, biomedical paradigm that marginalizes the psychological dimension of human suffering. To address this gap, the article proposes integrating a salutogenic (health-oriented) approach with Nossrat Peseschkian’s model of life balance as a methodological foundation for prevention. We contend that effective prevention requires a paradigm shift towards psychological health, the cultivation of a help-seeking culture, and the systematic integration of psychotherapeutic practices into general medical care. Practical recommendations are offered to bridge the current divide between biological and psychological approaches, advocating for a balanced, person-centered model.

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A case of psychotherapeutic practice for an adolescent between identity, symptom and balance. Individual identity is essential for mental health. Identity development is a basis of self-acceptance and good self-esteem. As Erikson (2013) pointed out, subjective sense of identity must continue to be rediscovered and developed in a never-ending process. Erikson emphasizes that the term of identity has different but generally interrelated meanings. In many situations it can be attributed to a conscious sense of individual identity, in the others – to “an unconscious battle” for continuity between tradition and individuality, in the third – to the stability of the self, and in the fourth – as a mechanism for maintaining internal balance with group (traditional) ideals and group (traditional) identity.

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Providing help and support to people experiencing grief after loss is one of the tasks of a psychologist and psychotherapist. Many views of various authors on the process of grieving and criticism of different opinions of each other make it difficult to choose any one theory for dealing with bereavement. The main goal of this paper is to take a holistic view of the course of adaptation to bereavement and create an integrative approach to the process of grieving based on the main principles of positive psychotherapy. To do this, I used the theories of living-through of grieving by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, John Bowlby, William Worden, Margaret Stroebe and Hank Shute, and Nossrat Peseschkian. Thus, an integrative model of the bereavement experience was created, in which the phases and tasks of two processes were identified: orientation to loss and orientation to restoration. Application of this model, as well as the use of the principles and techniques of positive psychotherapy as a guide, can help a therapist have a holistic view of the process of dealing with bereavement and be as effective as possible in the therapy process.

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Suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempts (SA), and completed suicides (CS), seem to be phenomena present globally and in heterogeneous growth. The objectives of this manuscript are to offer an overview of these phenomena related to mental health and mental well-being, focusing on the prevention of SI, SA, and CS, with multidisciplinary team (MDT) and interdisciplinary team (IDT) interventions that can be integrated into the daily activities of healthcare workers (HWs) and medical/healthcare students (MHSs). The role of medical education (MedEd) and counselling/psychotherapy, with particular interest in the PPT (Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy), can become fundamental in intervention, identification, prevention activities, for MHSs and HWs.

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The article discusses the increasing prevalence of antidepressant use in the UK and concerns surrounding the reliance on psychotropic medication. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is also mentioned, along with the increasing rates of probable mental disorders in children and young people.

The author highlights the role of psychotherapists in discussing medication-related topics with clients and advocating for collaboration with Family Doctors (GPs) and psychiatrists.  It suggests that a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy may be more effective than medication alone, but long waiting times for therapy services pose a challenge. Staff shortages in mental health services are identified as barriers to adequate care and patient involvement in decision-making processes.

The Balance Model is proposed as a framework for planning interventions, focusing on the four areas of life (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) to support clients in managing the side effects of starting or stopping medication. Overall, the article calls for a comprehensive approach to mental health treatment that considers both medication and psychotherapy, addresses the challenges associated with medication use, and advocates for improved training and collaboration among healthcare professionals.

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This case study demonstrates how Positive psychotherapy addressed chronic anxiety in a 22-year-old female client with prolonged stress exposure. The client presented with rigid perfectionism, autonomic symptoms, and social withdrawal rooted in childhood trauma. Using the Balance Model, therapy targeted: (1) restructuring dysfunctional basic concepts (diligence vs. hope conflict), (2) rebuilding trust through the five-stage process (extended verbalization phase for trauma processing), and (3) reactivating primary capacities (patience, contact). Key interventions included transcultural parables for cognitive flexibility and “small steps” experiments in the achievement dimension. After 42 sessions, the client achieved reduced anxiety, resumed social activities, and developed self-compassion statements. The case highlights PPT’s efficacy in transforming anxiety from a pathological symptom into a growth signal. Findings suggest that modified stage sequencing benefits trauma clients with perfectionism.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the lives and mental health of people around the world, and it has become clinically essential to define risk factors in order to provide adequate prevention and support. The aim of the study was to describe coping strategies in Polish women related to the COVID-19 pandemic using the balance model, one of the most important concepts of positive psychotherapy (PPT after Peseschkian since 1977). The analysis included 735 women at the mean age of 39.61 years. The survey was conducted using the questionnaire form on the website. Based on Beck’s depression test, depressive disorders were disclosed in 32.65%, and both the presence and severity of depressive syndromes were inversely correlated with age. Using a cluster analysis, three adaptation strategies could be identified, related to the different prevalence of depressive disorders. Relationships proved the most crucial area of the balance model, responsible for the effectiveness of the coping strategy. Based on the obtained results, it has to be concluded that preventive measures should primarily concern women aged < 25 years old and focus on strengthening the relationships area.

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We shall consider the possibility of using virtual reality (VR) technologies in the treatment of phobias, psychosomatic disorders, and other psychophysical conditions. The challenge of augmenting patients’ mental treatment by means of VR technologies is quite relevant in the field of psychology. A new way is quickly developing in the search for better methods of diagnosis, amelioration of anxiety and other conditions, as well as the identification of human characteristics. This new method can be characterized as deep immersion in virtual reality. This provides an opportunity to work with psychosomatics and phobias through virtual reality.

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The purpose of the current study was to understand the nature of the conflict reactions that employees of 5* Greek hotels that belong to the higher management levels tend to present. The research aimed to find out if there is any connection between special primary and secondary capacities described in PPT and conflict reactions in people who have higher management roles.

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