Miriam Akhtar Positive Psych

Miriam Akhtar Positive Psychology: Courses, Coaching, Consultancy, Communications

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Applying Positive Psychology to Disaffected Youths

I have just completed the first ever study of the effect of positive psychology on vulnerable adolescents with issues of alcohol and drug misuse. The research took place at Project 28 in Bath, an alcohol & drug treatment service for young people run by the charity In-Volve and was funded by the Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC). The study set a precedent in using a health model approach to 'at risk' adolescents with coaching as a tool rather than the usual approach of treatment based on the disease model. I developed a programme for vulnerable and disaffected adolescents based on themes from positive psychology The young participants, aged 14-20, attended a weekly session over 8 weeks and were followed up 6 and 12 weeks later.

The results were incredibly positive. The programme led to increases in hedonic, eudaimonic, physical and social-wellbeing with alcohol consumption dropping to a third of its original level. Many of the participants described the course as 'life-changing' and there was evidence of a transformation both internally in their mindsets and externally in their circumstances. The study shows that positive psychology can be used with vulnerable and disaffected young people, such as NEETs and binge-drinking teens, who've moved from the risk into the reality of social, educational and health problems.

Session	Happiness Zones	Principal Themes
Week 1	Feel Good Zone	Positive Emotions, Savouring
Week 2	Future Zone	Gratitude, Optimism,
Week 3	Me Zone	Strengths
Week 4	Chill Zone	Relaxation, Meditation
Week 5	Change Zone	Change, Goal-setting
Week 6	Me to You Zone	Relationships
Week 7	Body Zone	Nutrition, Physical Activity
Week 8	Bounce back Zone	Resilience, Growth Mindset

Key Findings

Alcohol dependence down by two-thirds by the end of the study. Binge drinking gives way to social drinking.
Drug use down considerably, becoming a part-time rather than full-time activity with many giving up drugs altogether.
Statistically significant increases in happiness, optimism and positive emotions. The most notable increase was in optimism.
The development of a future goal orientation (from a present hedonistic stance). Participants set and achieved goals, becoming optimistic about the future.
The ratio of positive to negative emotions increased to 2 to 1 with evidence of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions at work. Many of the participants went into a state of flourishing, describing the intervention as life-changing. There were signs of transformation, both internally in their mindset and externally in their circumstances.
80% re-engaged with education. 40% gained new jobs. 40% were re-housed into more suitable accommodation.

Coaching with positive psychology works well with vulnerable adolescents. The coaching question of ‘what do you want’ orients young people towards their futures and motivates them to take steps towards achieving their goals.

You can view the abstract here. If you are interested in running a programme such as this, please get in touch. The results speak for themselves!