President of Üsküdar University and psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan participated in an online seminar titled “The Use of Positive Psychotherapy in Schools”, organized by Sarıyer Guidance and Research Center as part of a seminar series for psychological counselors and guidance teachers. In his talk, Prof. Tarhan emphasized that positive psychotherapy greatly facilitates the work of psychological counselors and guidance professionals. He explained that positive psychology aims to enhance a person’s quality of life, and that it is a science focused on enabling people to be healthy, happy, and successful. These three fundamental components, he noted, must be balanced on the “tray of reason.” Tarhan also emphasized that the governing framework for values education is positive psychology.
The online seminar drew significant participation from school counselors and psychological consultants.
“Families and our education system are the best implementers of primary prevention”
Prof. Tarhan highlighted the benefits of positive psychotherapy and explained that “Positive psychotherapy makes the job of school counselors and psychological consultants much easier. Psychiatrists, counselors, and psychological consultants are most interested in this field because they are aware of the growing problems among youth. We need to find ways to intervene before problems grow. Once they escalate, treatment and therapy become more difficult. In medicine, there are four fields of specialization. One of them is treatment-based medicine, and this includes diagnosing and treating disorders such as ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. This area is challenging, labor-intensive, and costly. Primary prevention involves taking measures to ensure individuals don’t become ill in the first place. This is where lifestyle education comes in, and how individuals should live to protect themselves from disease. Secondary prevention aims to identify high-risk groups and intervene early before a disorder fully develops. Tertiary prevention refers to treatment strategies that prevent recurrence after recovery. Of all these, primary prevention is of golden value. And the people who are best equipped to implement primary prevention are families and the education system.”
“Positive psychology is not the same as blind optimism”
Tarhan stressed that positive psychology should not be confused with naïve optimism or ‘Pollyannaism’ and stated that “It is easier to extinguish a spark than a wildfire. Great journeys begin with small steps, and schools are in the best position to take those steps. In fact, this process should begin not in primary school, but in early childhood education. Our education system has the capacity to develop solutions in this area. “Across the world, rising violence, school shootings, and suicides among youth have made this issue even more critical. In the U.S., for example, it’s common for teachers to interrupt class and announce, ‘We’re going to mindfulness training now.’ Mindfulness, translated into Turkish as ‘conscious awareness,’ involves exercises aimed at renewing mental patterns. These sessions teach relaxation, stress reduction, and habit change techniques, and are practiced from elementary through high school. These methods are, in essence, reflections of Anatolian wisdom, that is, summarizing the teachings of Mevlana, Hacı Bayram Veli, Hacı Bektaş Veli, and Şeyh Edebali. Psychology has taken these teachings, systematized them, and built methodologies around them. Positive psychology is often misunderstood as looking at everything positively or staying silent no matter what happens. In contrast, traditional psychology focuses on the negative, aiming to reduce problems to zero. Positive psychotherapy, on the other hand, aims to move people from zero to positive, and this is why it’s called ‘positive.’ It’s not about blindly being optimistic. It’s about organizing one’s lifestyle in a way that leads to better outcomes. How should you live to be happy? How should you live to be successful? How do you achieve your goals and find peace? Positive psychotherapy seeks to answer these questions.”
“A person can attain true happiness only when they pursue meaning”
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan explained that the PERMA model consists of five components and stated that “The first is Positive Emotion. It’s often mistaken for positive thinking, but what is meant here is a positive emotional state, that is, being able to maintain a positive mood even under the worst conditions. Whether you’re in prison or in a palace, it’s the ability to preserve that state of mind. For someone living in a palace, this means avoiding the corruption of power, keeping the ego in check, and not falling into narcissism. Positive psychology addresses this. The emotional state achieved through this is referred to as authentic happiness, which is pure and genuine happiness. In Turkish, the closest word to this is ‘huzur’ (inner peace). In Arabic, the root of ‘huzur’ means ‘to be present’, that is, being prepared for the future and difficulties, and being inwardly calm. The second step is Engagement, that is, becoming completely absorbed in an activity to the point of losing track of time, such as working in a lab or attending a class. This creates an intense sense of satisfaction, referred to as flow. When a person loves what they do, they can experience this. The third is Relationships, that is, developing healthy social connections is essential to happiness. A strong and supportive social network is necessary. The fourth is Meaning, without pursuing meaning, one cannot achieve true happiness. The capitalist mindset says, ‘If it pleases you, it is good; if not, it’ i bad.’ However, true happiness comes from chasing meaningful goals. The fifth and final element is Accomplishment, that is, being able to find joy in small things, such as waking up healthy in the morning or appreciating what you already have. It’s about seeing even failure not as a threat but as an opportunity. Every situation has both a threat and an opportunity side. If you focus only on the threat, you are pulled down. However, if you say, ‘I needed to go through this,’ and apply radical acceptance, you can gain strength by accepting what cannot be changed and recalling your past achievements. This allows you to generate new energy and build belief in your future success. That is how we can summarize the PERMA model.”
“The goal is to use strengths to balance weaknesses”
Discussing Howard Gardner’s character analysis model, Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows: “In traditional medicine, when a person became ill, treatment often involved surgery. But in 21st-century medicine, the priority is now tissue-respecting treatment, which is minimally invasive methods that do the least harm to the body. For example, laparoscopic surgeries fall under this approach, as do immunotherapies that boost the immune system so the body can fight disease on its own. The psychological equivalent of this is positive psychotherapy, which strengthens psychological defense mechanisms and increases ego resilience so the person can overcome difficulties using their own internal dynamics. When a person’s positive traits are enhanced, their negative aspects gradually lose influence. Howard Gardner developed a character analysis model in 1982 based on this approach. According to the model, human character is assessed through 6 core virtues and 24-character strengths, known as VIA character strengths. The assessment identifies a person’s strengths and weaknesses. The goal is to help individuals use their strengths to balance out their weaknesses, thereby boosting psychological resilience. There’s a structured therapy model based on this, and it even has a neurobiological basis, that is, a foundation in the brain’s neural systems. For this reason, this method is now widely used in clinical practice as a next-generation therapy. Adaptations of the same model can also be developed for the education system.”
“Living with honor is one of the greatest sources of happiness”
Prof. Tarhan emphasized that values must be instilled in children at an early age and stated that “Humans are genetically inclined to seek fairness. Scientists are even researching whether there is a specific gene in the brain related to fair sharing. When a child learns fairness, they are also learning a value, which is also a virtue. When a virtue becomes applicable in everyday life, it takes the form of a value judgment, or a behavioral pattern. In this way, children learn both virtues and values. Imagine trying to navigate in an unfamiliar area without a map. Traffic signs guide us, that is, telling us when to turn, when to stop. In life, values are like these signs. They guide us to the right path as we pursue our goals. For example, values teach us: ‘Earn with your effort, have value-based principles, and live with honor.’ Teaching this to children at a young age is a great achievement. “Because living with honor is one of the greatest sources of happiness, that is, being able to walk through society with your head held high, living with inner peace without having to answer to anyone. These are priceless. Therefore, teaching children values and virtues is not just an individual responsibility, but a social one. The foundation for a dignified life lies in the values instilled during childhood. With this awareness, we aim to teach children truth, justice, honesty, and how to live with dignity.”
“A child who experiences bullying can turn the trauma into a developmental process”
President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that peer bullying can escalate to school refusal and stated that “Peer bullying has become a global issue today. Particularly, students who have weak social and emotional skills and who struggle to express themselves are more affected. These students are often intelligent and academically successful, but when they don’t laugh along in social settings, they get excluded. Over time, these differences become the subject of mockery and evolve into bullying. As a result, the child may become withdrawn, lose interest in school, and in severe cases, even reject attending school altogether. In such situations, it’s not enough to simply change the environment or punish the bullies. What truly matters is helping the child transform the experience into a developmental opportunity. Positive psychology offers this perspective, which allows us to see such experiences not only as threats but also as chances for growth. We must ask the child: ‘How did this affect you?’ ‘What did it teach you?’ ‘What would you do if it happened again?’ This is known as post-traumatic growth. A child who has been bullied can transform the trauma into a path of personal development. In psychotherapy, the method of radical acceptance is used. Instead of denying the experience, the child learns to accept it. Just like we cannot learn to swim without swallowing water, or to ski without falling, life is learned through emotional and social challenges. Experiences like peer bullying can actually serve as opportunities to build emotional resilience and improve social skills. What matters is learning from these events and continuing the journey by strengthening emotional resilience.”
“Values education is silent education”
Stressing the importance of a values-based education system, Tarhan said that “Values education is silent education. That means values are not taught through lectures or conferences. Values should be conveyed within the flow of everyday life and embedded in classroom learning. Even in subjects like math or physics, value transmission is possible. Long presentations on values in auditoriums do not resonate with children, but collaborating to solve a math problem or taking responsibility in a science experiment imparts values subconsciously. In countries like Japan and China, the focus for children aged 4 to 6 is not on information overload, but on building social-emotional skills. Through games, children learn to share, collaborate, and resolve conflicts through dialogue. For instance, in games, boys tend to continue playing when one falls, while girls often run to help. Because empathy develops earlier in girls genetically, educators use these observations to teach empathy to boys as well. “Through such approaches, children learn to share, cooperate, manage anger, and celebrate happiness together. This helps their brains perceive not only academic achievement but also social relationships as sources of reward. As a result, children don't become unhappy when they fail academically, and they discover other paths to happiness. A reward system tied to a single domain makes children vulnerable, but a multidimensional happiness map strengthens their psychological resilience. This is where positive psychology plays a crucial role. By helping children recognize their strengths, it supports self-awareness and personal growth. Education is no longer just about information transfer, but it is about emotional regulation, character development, and value formation. If we want to raise happy, strong, and resilient individuals, we must rebuild our education system based on values. And the framework for managing values education is positive psychology.”
“The tray of reason must be balanced”
Prof. Tarhan explained that positive psychology aims to improve quality of life and concluded his remarks as follows: “Positive psychology is a science that seeks to help individuals become healthy, happy, and successful. It does not merely focus on mental health but aims to enhance overall life quality. At its core lies lifestyle education, which teaches that success in academics or career alone is not enough; one must also maintain physical health and emotional well-being. These three fundamental pillars, which are happiness, health, and success, are described through a metaphor known as the ‘tray of reason’ or ‘mental balance tray’. These elements must be placed on the tray in a balanced manner. If one outweighs the others, say, focusing only on success while neglecting health or happiness, and the tray tips over and balance is lost. Therefore, these three areas must support one another and be developed in harmony. When we teach young people how to maintain this balance, we are providing them with the most effective form of positive psychology education. This approach not only supports individual development but also contributes to greater social well-being.”
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)