Jerome Carson

This book presents the importance of the role of creativity, particularly everyday creativity, in the lives of people on a mental health recovery journey. Through a review of historical and contemporary literature and research findings on the topic, the book starts by giving readers an idea of the state of play of conceptualisations of both creativity and recovery. The authors arrive at and present their own definitions of these concepts, using autoethnography to bring their own experiences into the text. They then illustrate to the reader what creativity in recovery looks like in practice, through interviews with and written accounts from creative individuals who have experienced a mental health recovery journey, grounding the theory with tangible stories of application. The interviews are analysed, with themes picked out and a model of creativity and recovery produced by the authors. Implications and possible future directions are then discussed. This unique presentation of creative recovery will be of interest to a wide range of mental health professionals, specifically those studying or practicing mental health recovery and creative therapies.

This autoethnographic volume gathers a multiplicity of different voices in autoethnographic research from across psychology and mental health disciplines to address topics ranging from selfhood, trauma, emotional understanding, clinical psychology, and the experience of grief. Edited by two leading figures, this volume broadens the concept of psychology beyond its conventional, mainstream academic boundaries and challenges pre-conceived and received notions of what constitutes 'psychology' and 'mental health'. This book collects new autoethnographic writers in psychology and mental health from across as diverse a range of disciplines and in doing makes a strong case for the legitimacy of subjectivity, emotionality and lived experience as epistemic and pedagogic resources. The collection also troubles the related concept of 'mental health.' In contemporary times, this is either biomedically over-colonised (welcomed by some but resisted by others), often regarded by lay and professional people alike in terms of an 'ordered or disordered' binary (comforting for some but associated with stigma and othering for others), or, at worst, is reduced to a set of hackneyed memes - the stuff of Breakfast television (well-intentioned and undoubtedly reassuring and helpful for some but patronising and naïve for others). Overall, the volume promotes the subjective and lived-experiential voices of its contributors - the hallmark of autoethnographic writing. Autoethnographies in Psychology and Mental Health will be of interest to psychology and mental health students and professions with an interest in qualitative inquiry as it intersects with autoethnography and mental health

Humour is officially recognized in positive psychology as one of the 24 'character strengths'. However, laughter has an uneasy relationship with positive psychology, despite being key to communicating joy and happiness.The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour corrects this disconnect by combining academic insight with real-world experience. Drawing on the authors' diverse backgrounds and expertise, this is the first academic volume dedicated to the rarely discussed topic of laughter and humour in positive psychology.Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky, Merv Neal and Jerome Carson demonstrate how laughter and humour differ, and how both can be applied within positive psychology to boost mood and maintain positive outcomes.The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour includes case studies and real-world insight as well as providing a methodological and theoretical background to the topic, giving rigorous theoretical and methodological insight for researchers, and including pedagogical sections in each chapter useful for teachers and researchers.

There has been an abundance of research carried out relating to the use of positive psychology, but a focus on staff working in care settings has been lacking. Positive Psychology for Healthcare Professionalspresents applied positive psychology specifically for health and care staff, showcasing eleven different interventions that have proven to be effective in improving wellbeing.Positive Psychology Interventions are validated techniques, developed to include wellbeing enhancing activities, building effective user-friendly, cost-effective self-help strategies. This toolkit for improving wellbeing provides a more holistic roadmap to increase self-awareness of staff abilities, potential talents, and positive characteristics, through a strengths-based approach.

Stories of Addiction Recovery explores first-hand structured accounts of addiction recovery through the G-CHIME model. G-CHIME is an adaptation to the CHIME model of mental health recovery, specifically targeted at addiction recovery. Identifying important components of recovery (Growth, Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning in life, and Empowerment), G-CHIME considers aspects of positive psychology such as empowerment and hope as well as recognizing elements of addiction recovery such as connection and meaning in life.Publishing recovery stories in this way Stories of Addiction Recovery contributes positive literature to an area that is conventionally viewed with a negative bias, building away from the long-standing stigmatization associated with addiction and substance misuse. The first-hand accounts of shared experiences, lessons learnt, and the growth achieved can highlight to others what is possible in their own recovery.

We all aspire to happiness, but happiness in Bolton? In the 1930s, the Mass Observation Happiness Project researched Bolton (anonymised as Worktown). The extensive papers from this exercise provide a vivid insight into the joys and disappointments of ordinary people in pre-War Bolton. This book looks at how have the dramatic changes since then have affected the aspirations of Boltonians and their perception of the good life. The Editors (themselves Boltonians) have assembled 15 chapters from 19 authors all active in the Bolton of today. These authors offer a diversity of insights into happiness. They look at the importance of exercise and fitness, the role of leisure and the part music plays in happiness. Art can enable happiness through expression of creativity. Religion can be a pathway to happiness, and forgiveness can aid recovery from despair. Addiction – often a barrier to happiness – can be conquered. Happiness matters at all stages in life. Two chapters outline programmes for schools. Social factors are shown to be important for adults in community groups. The northern theme is reinforced with details of the character and culture of ‘Northerners’. Results from a recent research study on the differences between the North and South are revealed. A repetition of the 1930s Mass Observation study highlights changes in aspirations since then. Suggestions on the way forward for the experience of happiness round off the book. Happiness in a Northern Town is a collection of different perspectives into happiness and wellbeing. It offers hope in overcoming barriers to happiness not only in Bolton but beyond.