Janet Macfarlane

This article is the fifth in a series that celebrates the work of positive psychologists and how their work has the power and potential to influence mental health nursing practice. In this article, the work of Kristin Neff and her work on self-compassion is discussed. The practical activities provided in the article will help the reader increase their own awareness of self-compassion to develop their use and transferability within their own life.

Changes in PhD regulations at several universities mean that there are a number of routes available to study for a PhD, other than the traditional PhD by research. Many offer a PhD by publication, which can either be via a retrospective route or a prospective route. Others offer a PhD by public works or professional practice, which are both retrospective. Both options may be available to mental health nurses, who may have contributed greatly to the development of the profession, but never had the time or encouragement to pursue PhD studies before. This paper features two autoethnographic accounts by two highly experienced mental health nurses, who achieved their PhDs in the last year. They reflect on their own backgrounds in mental health nursing and what persuaded them to study for a PhD. If you thought your own academic journey was finished, maybe you may need to think again?

This article is the fourth in a series that celebrates the work of positive psychologists and how their work has the power and potential to influence mental health nursing practice. This article discusses Professor Ryan Niemiec and his work on character strengths. The practical activities provided will help the reader increase their own awareness of character strengths to develop their use and transferability within their own life.

This article is the second in a series that celebrates the work of positive psychologists and how their work has the power and potential to influence mental health nursing practice. Focusing on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934–2021) and his work on flow will help to bring interest and understanding to this exciting and developing area of mental health nursing practice. The practical activities provided in the article will help the reader increase their own awareness of flow to develop its use and transferability within their own life.

This article introduces a series that will celebrate the work of positive psychologists and discuss how their work has the power and potential to influence mental health nursing practice. The series will provide a historical perspective of early psychologists, their contributions and the continued importance of recognising current positive psychologists, as they also revive and regenerate understanding of the study of the individual. The first paper in the series focuses on the work of Professor Martin Seligman and his interest in optimism and positivity. He is regarded by many as ’the father of positive psychology’.

This is the twelfth article in a series that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the impact it has on the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It will focus on positive psychology interventions that help to develop hope and considers how its uplifting effect, through contemporary use in the field of mental health nursing, can be experienced. This article initially introduces the concept of hope then links it with the field of positive psychology. It then focuses on Snyder's theory of hope and its use in promoting wellbeing. It follows with the application of hope within the nursing context. Finally, it refers to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and how hope may be used to support the mental health nursing workforce. The practical activities provided in the article will help the reader increase their own awareness of hope and consider ways to develop its use and transferability within their own life..

This is the eleventh article in a series that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the importance it has on the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It focuses on positive psychology interventions that help to develop humour and considers how the uplifting effect of humour can be experienced through contemporary use in the field of mental health nursing. This article will connect theories of humour that link to wellbeing. It introduces the concept of positive psychology and its links with humour. Finally, it follows with the application of humour within the nursing context. The practical activities provided in the article will help the reader increase their own awareness of their own character strength of humour, observe the type of humour they use and consider ways to develop its use and transferability within their own lifestyle.

This is the tenth article in a series that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the importance of applying the latest related research findings, for the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It will focus on the innovative I-Flourishing and Languishing Opportunities Wheel (I-FLOW) model, which can be applied to mental health nursing from a different perspective to many other frameworks. It positions realistic optimism and flow at its epicentre, suggesting that these are in a constant dynamic state of homeostatic balance. It recognises that wellbeing can be a combination of managing positive and negative feelings, thoughts and behaviours and that this is central to successful navigation of our life experiences. This article will frame the historical context of the model's development as a multi-dimensional concept through a range of positive psychology theorists and their respective frameworks. Finally, it encourages the reader to consider how the application of I-FLOW could be of benefit to them, through increased self-awareness and feedback. The practical tasks provided in the boxes throughout the article will help the reader identify what flourishing and wellbeing means to them and understand how to further develop its transferability through evidence-based, user-friendly exercises.

This is the ninth article in a series that explores the meaning of positive psychology and the importance it has on the wellbeing of the mental health workforce. It will focus on positive psychology interventions that help to develop resilience and to consider how the uplifting effect of resilience through contemporary use in the field of mental health nursing can be experienced. This article will explain what the term resilience means and how it is embedded in the practice of positive psychological interventions. Finally, it will emphasise how the application of positive psychological interventions can benefit the individual and the organisation. The practical tasks provided in the boxes throughout the article will help the reader identify what resilience means for them and understand how to further develop its transferability through evidence-based, user-friendly exercises.