2019-2025

The Positive Psychology Summits: UK are designed to explore how to use Positive Psychology to improve well-being for your clients, colleagues and customers. They are of value to Positive Psychology Practitioners, Coaches and Masters in Applied Positive Psychology graduates looking at ‘next steps’. The Summit was cofounded in 2019 by Jane Jennison, Catherine Stacey and Andrew Foster and they led and curated the 2019 and 2023 summits, supported by our sponsors and a very generous group of volunteer supporters.

In 2024 Catherine Stacey stepped back from the organising team and Andrew and Jane are now taking the 2025 Summit forward, again with the generous support of the positive psychology community and the Positive Psychology Guild.

2023 Summit

The 2024 Positive Psychology Summit:UK was on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th April 2024 at the Mercure Hotel, Bedford, United Kingdom. Our overarching theme was “Putting Positive Psychology into practice” with a focus on:

  • Building community;

  • Applying Positive Psychology;

  • Sharing knowledge.

Each session was an interactive workshop, helping delegates integrate the learning and giving clear takeaways that they could apply in their personal and professional life.

Attendees

We were pleased to welcome thirty delegates and speakers from all over the world to attend this informative and friendly community event.

Speakers

Sarah Lewis: Exploring positive emotions: Extending our ability to feel good.

This workshop, working with positive emotion cards, would enable participants first to identify which, out of 30 positive emotions, they are most aware of experiencing; giving them to the opportunity to explore and share how experiencing these top five emotions aids their wellbeing.

Then, in the second half of the workshop, participants would identify one or two positive emotions with which they are less familiar and, using the coaching questions and suggestions provided, help each other devise first steps towards increasing the likelihood of, or their ability to, experience this particular positive emotion.

Takeaways

  • An expanded positive emotion vocabulary and mental model, and a practical exercise for working with clients to boost wellbeing.

  • A personal development idea.

Frederika Roberts: Positive Change that sticks: organisation-wide improvement through Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Enquiry (AI) shifts the focus of organisational change and development from looking at what’s wrong to looking at what’s right and building from there. This positive, strengths-based approach is therefore a perfect partner to Positive Psychology, which focuses on supporting individuals, groups and organisations to function at their best. 

Takeways

In this workshop, you will gain an overview of the stages and processes of AI and how this organisation-wide approach, involving all stakeholder groups, can significantly improve the “stickability” of any changes made. Even more importantly, as this is a practical workshop, you will experience some of the AI methods and processes for yourself, so you can gain practical insight into what AI can achieve in an organisation, and how it feels to participate in this strengths-based, positive process. 

Martina Gannon: Post-Traumatic Growth: an exploration

Objectives

This workshop will enable participants to better understand Post Traumatic Growth, its importance in theory and practice as well as exploring research into historical and contemporary perspectives on its issues and caveats. They will also be able to reflect on personal or known experiences of Post Traumatic Growth, how that can contribute to and enhance a life narrative and how this could be facilitated in others in a trauma informed way.

Takeaways

Workshop participants will leave with a better understanding of the importance of Post Traumatic Growth and its caveats as well as ‘expert companion’ strategies for facilitating Post Traumatic Growth in others in a trauma informed way.

Who could this benefit

This workshop could be of benefit and interest to:

  • Those working in wellbeing or pastoral roles in education, self-development, therapy or healthcare.

  • People interested in understanding thriving after adversity.

  • People interested in understanding what promotes and inhibits growth after adversity.

Lynn Burrow: We all want to be heard

How can we improve relationships with partners, co-workers, family and friends?  Do we feel heard in life? Do others around us feel heard? If we handle complaints at work, is there a better way of approaching them? 

Feeling seen and heard often diffuses the anger in situations, at home and work, and socially,  giving a better basis for moving forward. 

Using pairs in breakaway sessions we can explore issues and instances of feeling unheard, and feeling heard. The difference it makes when this works out. How this could improve communication within personal relationships.

Takeaways:

  • Ways to use this in close relationships, resulting in other people feeling heard and validated. 

  • How to diffuse 'complaint' situations at home and work

  • Do I feel heard in significant ways? If not, what can I consider to change that? 

Dr. Rebecca Jackson: Crafting Positive Psychology Interventions for Autistic Coaching Clients

The aim of this workshop is to help positive psychology coaches discover how autistic clients may respond and what needs they may have in the coaching space, and make a plan for what the coaches can craft, embed or say to meet these clients where they are and offer inclusive and effective coaching to them.

Objectives and Takeaways

  • Develop understanding of autism in the context of adult autistic clients without learning disabilities.

  • Discover how autistic coaching clients may present in coaching conversations, including points in the coaching process/conversation where adjustments and accommodations may be needed.

  • Create an amended roadmap for one’s own positive psychology coaching process based on what has been discovered about autism and autistic clients.

  • Determine an action plan for crafting one’s practice and CPD process to better support autistic clients through increased accommodation of needs and knowledge of how to support autistic clients.

  • The session finishes with a very brief summary of what we have done and what they might have discovered. There will be some time at the end for targeted questions about the coaches’ own coaching of autistic clients, allowing them to tap my experience as an autistic coach of autistic people.

Matt C. Freeman: Positive Ageing

This workshop will help you to better understand what it can feel like to be on the receiving end of ageing changes and challenges. It will also leave you better equipped to shift your mindset from a negative emotional state - low mood, rumination, inertia, languishing and unhelpful comparisons to youth - via an immersion in a positive, purposeful state - to an energised, motivated, and hopeful view of the future. From there, you may gain the potential for an open-minded, forward-looking state, with ambitions and plans for positive action to create a healthier, happier older age.

Takeaways


Whether you are ageing yourself (as we all are), or have a parent who an older adult, a partner/spouse who is not adjusting to their advancing years well, or you work with/support older adults, this workshop will help you to better understand what it can feel like to be on the receiving end of ageing changes and challenges

Sarah Monk: Exploring Emotional Acceptance Techniques for Resilience

This workshop will introduce the acceptance approach to emotional regulation and the links to the evolutionary psychophysiology work of Paul Gilbert and Polyvagal theory of Stephen Porges. Applied practices will be used to illustrate the concepts of experiential avoidance, the control agenda that impacts emotional flexibility and the benefits of the acceptance and compassion approach. Participants will be encouraged to think about how this approach might be useful in their personal and professional lives and consider potential ethical issues associated with the latter.

Takeaways

  • Gain an understanding of how we can improve our resilience by appreciating the functions of difficult emotions and responding to them with acceptance and compassion.

  • Experience of practical exercises which can be used to promote personal self care.

  • A chance to reflect on how these ideas might be useful in your own work context.

Darshak Laklani: The mind is our best friend or worst enemy

This workshop will allow participants to practice positively turning into one’s mind and grasping the strengths and positives that flow.

It invites the participant to see and have a feel from a spiritual perspective how tools and practises can be applied in everyday life in all situations.

Who will it benefit?

● Anyone and everyone, people coming from different backgrounds or a scientific place, like-minded people with a connection to either positivity or spirituality.

● This is taken from an angle of positivity from a spiritual lens, inviting those who are open and new, inquisitive and curious, to dip their toes into the curiosity of what is being offered and shared as well as the well-established in the field.

● This will also be beneficial for people in Leadership, HR, Management and anyone who is looking to help guide moving forward with a positive mindset!

Dr Raul Rodriguez: Synergies at the Intersection: Artificial Intelligence, Positive Psychology, and the Quest for Human Flourishing

In a world marked by unprecedented technological advancements, our exploration will venture into the intricate relationship between AI, Positive Psychology, and their joint quest for elevating human flourishing.

Participants will be exposed to high-level discussions, nuanced theories, and intriguing practical applications.

Who would benefit?

Any professionals managing individuals/managers/academics/learners interested in discovering the intersection of AI and Psychology.

2019 Summit

The First Positive Psychology Summit: UK was held in Bedford on the 27th and 28th April 2019.

Attendees

We were pleased to welcome thirty five delegates and speakers from all over the world to attend this informative and friendly community event.

Speakers

  • Steve Bagienski: Magic-based Workshops to build Community

  • Barry Docherty: Reaching the Hard to Reach

  • Tom Gillson: ‘Strickers’: Taking a PPI Idea to Reality

  • Martin Galpin: Beyond Questionnaires

  • Sarah Lewis: Surviving and Thriving as a Freelancer

  • Dr. Charles Margerison: Amazing Achievers

  • Frederika Roberts: Positive Education

Workshops

Andrew Foster: Executive Coaching Masterclass

Ravi Singh Gill and Jane Jennison: Social Eating

Tom Gillson: PPI Idea to Reality

Sarah Lewis: Coaching Cubes and Methodology

Theresa Quinn: Lego Serious Play

Matt Smith and Jane Jennison: Getting Published

Catherine Stacey: Networking

Feedback

This is what our delegates told us they liked:

“The feeling of it - easy and intimate”

“I loved that it was small and not academic, focussed equally on information and workshops”

“The social aspect, meeting wonderful people, learning and laughing so much”

“Positivity of people and general support. Really enjoyed it, thank you”

“Chance to interact with others”

“The informality and great organisation”

“A truly positive experience with a wonderful mix of talks, workshops and networking”

“Great people, excellent hosting team - made it very welcoming and friendly”