Date: November 4, 2020 from 1PM – 2:30PM Central Time
Title: PERMA, The Other 5 Letter Acronym: An Introduction to Positive Psychology
Session Description: The world is full of sadness, loneliness and anxiety related to COVID. This presentation will focus on a much brighter topic, Positive Psychology. The Positive Psychology movement was founded by Martin Seligman in 1998. In contrast with mainstream psychology which has been dominated with a focus on mental illness, maladaptive behavior, and negative thought patterns, Positive Psychology is focused on “the good life” and the factors that promote well-being. The session will focus on key domains that are relevant to well-being as identified by Seligman in his 2011 book, Flourish. These areas include: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Meaning, Relationships, and Accomplishment (Perma). Contemporary researchers have also emphasized the importance of lifestyle habits related to physical health. The session will provide an overview of Positive Psychology and will provide examples of Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) that may be useful to both staff members and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Speaker Bio: Thane Dykstra is the President and CEO of Trinity Services, Inc. He joined the organization in 1995 and served as Clinical Director and Director of Trinity’s Behavioral Health program.
Thane has written numerous professional publications related to his field of study, and he has presented extensively at national conferences and invited trainings. His current professional interests include contextual-behavioral therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He is especially interested in applying these models in work with persons who exhibit challenging behavior. Thane’s interests also include the assessment of risk for persons with intellectual disabilities. Most recently, Thane has been involved in integrating Positive Psychology into person centered planning and recently co-authored a book with Art Dykstra entitled: A New Plan – Using Positive Psychology to Renew the Promise of Person Centered Planning.
Thane holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. In addition, he completed a pre-doctoral internship at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. While at Brown, he served as an assistant project coordinator at the university’s Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies.
Within Illinois state agencies, Thane has served on steering committees and work groups for the Department of Human Services (DHS)–both the Division of Mental Health and the Division of Developmental Disabilities–and the Department of Children and Family Services. He was appointed by the Governor to the state’s Quality Care Board, an advisory committee for the DHS Office of the Inspector General. Thane is a past president of the Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis.
Thane lives in Chicago’s south suburbs. He enjoys spending time with his family, camping, hiking, geocaching, fishing and disc golf. Thane was formerly an avid runner and completed several marathons.
Cost:
Member: $20.00
Non-Member: $25.00
CEUs: We are pleased to inform you that 1.5 continuing education hour(s) (CEs) are approved for the above training event for the following licensed professionals: • Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor • Licensed Clinical Social Worker • Licensed Nursing Home Administrator • Licensed Professional Counselor • Licensed Social Worker • Registered Nurse, and Licensed Practical Nurse & Advanced Practice Nurse. Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professionals (QIDPs) may apply the same hours of continuing education units earned from this conference toward their twelve hour annual continuing education requirement.
