Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, participated in an online seminar titled “The Use of Positive Psychotherapy in Schools,” organized by the Sarıyer Guidance and Research Center as part of the Psychological Counselors and Guidance Teachers Seminars. Tarhan stated that positive psychotherapy significantly simplifies the work of psychological counselors and guidance teachers. Expressing that positive psychology aims to increase human quality of life, Tarhan said it is a science that targets individuals to be healthy, happy, and successful. Tarhan also emphasized that these three fundamental elements should be balanced on the 'mind tray'. Tarhan noted that the management of 'Values Education' is 'Positive Psychology'.
The online seminar saw intense participation from guidance teachers and psychological counselors.
“Families and our education system are the best implementers of primary prevention”
Stating that positive psychotherapy provides great benefits, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan began his speech by saying: “Positive psychotherapy significantly simplifies the work of psychological counselors and guidance teachers. Psychiatrists, guidance teachers, and psychological counselors are most interested in this topic because they are aware of these problems. We need to find out how we can take precautions before problems escalate in young people, because treatment and therapy become difficult once a problem grows. There are four areas of specialization in medicine. One of them is known as curative medicine. That is, you diagnose a disease and try to treat conditions such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. This area is difficult, laborious, and high-cost. Primary prevention covers what can be done to prevent people from becoming ill. Here, lifestyle comes into play; for example, what should lifestyle education be like, and how should individuals protect themselves from diseases. Secondary prevention aims to identify risk groups and intervene with early diagnosis before the disease fully emerges. Tertiary prevention involves a treatment plan to prevent recurrence after a disease has passed. When we consider all these, primary prevention is golden. Families and our education system are the best implementers of this primary prevention!”
"Positive psychology is confused with Pollyannaism”
Tarhan emphasized that positive psychology is not Pollyannaism; “It is easy to extinguish a spark when it has just appeared. Great journeys begin with small steps. Our schools are in a position to take these small steps. In fact, this process should start not from primary school but from preschool. Our education system is capable of producing solutions in this regard. This issue is particularly important worldwide due to the increase in violence among young people, bringing weapons to school, and suicides. Currently, in schools in the USA, while students are in class, a teacher suddenly says, ‘We are leaving class; we are going for mindfulness training now.’ Mindfulness is translated into Turkish as conscious awareness. These are exercises aimed at renewing the thought system. These trainings teach relaxation, stress reduction, changing thought habits, and relaxation techniques. It is applied at all levels, from primary school to high school. These methods are actually like a summary of the teachings of Anatolian wisdom, Mevlana, Hacı Bayram Veli, Hacı Bektaş Veli, and Sheikh Edebali. Psychology has taken these teachings, systematized them, and developed a methodology. This positive psychology is confused with Pollyannaism, meaning it is perceived as looking positively at everything, no matter what happens, and not speaking out. Classical psychology focuses on the negative, trying to bring the problem to zero. Positive psychotherapy, on the other hand, aims to move from zero to positive. That's why it's called positive. It doesn't mean looking positively at everything but improving one's lifestyle to a better point. How do you live happily? How do you live successfully? How do you reach your goals and be peaceful? Positive psychotherapy answers these questions.”
“Humans can achieve true happiness when they pursue meaning”
Tarhan, stating that the PERMA model consists of five steps, said: “First is positive emotion, meaning a positive emotional state. It's usually called positive thinking, but what is meant here is a positive emotional state. Being able to experience a positive mood even in the worst conditions. Maintaining this state of mind whether you are in prison or in a palace. For those in a palace, this means not falling into power intoxication, not letting the ego inflate, and not turning into narcissism. Positive psychology addresses this. This positive state of mind is called authentic happiness. Authentic, meaning pure, genuine happiness. The closest equivalent in Turkish is the word 'huzur' (peace/serenity). The Arabic equivalent of 'huzur' is to be ready. That is, to be ready for the future and difficulties, and to be internally in a comfortable position. The second step of the PERMA model is engagement. For example, being completely focused on a task in a laboratory or during a lesson, without noticing how time passes. A tremendous pleasure is felt. This is called the flow state. If a person loves the work they do, they can capture this feeling. The third step is relationships. The third element for human happiness is being able to establish healthy social relationships. A strong and supportive social network is essential for happiness. The fourth step is meaning. A person cannot be truly happy unless they pursue meaning. The capitalist system says, ‘What you like is good; what you don't like is bad.’ Humans can achieve true happiness when they pursue meaning. The fifth and final step is accomplishment, meaning being able to be happy with small things. Waking up healthy in the morning, being able to recognize what one has. Viewing even failure not as a threat but as an opportunity. Every event has both a threat and an opportunity dimension. If you focus on the threat dimension, you are pulled down, but if you say, ‘I had to experience these,’ and apply the method of radical acceptance, you can accept what cannot be changed and find strength again by remembering your past achievements. Thus, you can energize yourself and develop a belief that you can succeed in the future. We can summarize the PERMA model in this way.”
“The aim is for individuals to balance their weaknesses by using their strengths”
Explaining Gardner's character analysis model, Tarhan said: “In classical medicine, when a person was ill, they would try to treat them by surgery. However, in 21st-century medicine, the concept of tissue-friendly medicine is now at the forefront. Tissue-friendly medicine means treating the wound with minimal damage to the body, without opening it as much as possible. For example, laparoscopic surgeries fall under this approach. Or prioritizing the body to cope with the disease on its own by strengthening the immune system with immune therapies. The psychological equivalent of this is positive psychotherapy: helping the individual overcome their problems through their own internal dynamics by strengthening their psychological defense systems and increasing ego resilience. When a person's positive aspects are strengthened, negative aspects gradually become ineffective. There is a character analysis model developed by Howard Gardner in 1982 related to this approach. According to this model, human character is evaluated through 6 core virtues and 24 character strengths. These values are called ‘VIA character strengths.’ This scale identifies an individual's strengths and weaknesses. The aim is for individuals to balance their weaknesses by using their strengths. In other words, to increase psychological resilience by highlighting positive aspects. There is a structured therapy model in this direction. Moreover, this model also has a neurobiological counterpart, meaning a neural basis in the brain. For this reason, this therapy method has begun to be widely used today as a new generation therapy in clinical applications. Adapted versions of the same approach can also be developed for the education system.”
“Living honorably is one of the greatest sources of happiness”
Tarhan, stating that values should be instilled in children at an early age, said: “Humans have a genetic desire to be fair. Scientists are researching whether there is a meta-gene related to fair sharing. When a child learns justice, they have actually learned a value. This value is also a virtue. The practical application of this virtue in daily life, that is, the behavioral pattern, is a value judgment. Thus, within this process, the child learns both virtue and value. Imagine trying to go from one place to another in an unfamiliar area. On this journey, traffic signs show the way. The signs tell you which way to turn, and when to stop. Values in life are just like these signs. They enable us to find the right path when reaching a goal. For example, it says, ‘Earn with your labor, have your values, live with honor.’ Values teach this. When we teach this to children, especially at a young age, we gain a great deal. Because living honorably is one of the greatest sources of happiness. Being able to walk with your head held high in society, living with inner peace without having to account to anyone. These are priceless things. Therefore, teaching values and virtues to children in schools is not just an individual but a societal duty. The foundation of living an honorable life lies in the values acquired in childhood. With this awareness, we also strive to teach children truth, justice, honesty, and living with honor.”
“A child subjected to bullying can transform their trauma into a developmental process”
Drawing attention to the fact that peer bullying can lead to school refusal, Tarhan said: “Peer bullying has become a global problem today. Students with weak social and emotional skills who cannot express themselves well are particularly more affected by this situation. These students are usually academically successful, intelligent children. However, in social environments, when others laugh and they don't, they are excluded. Over time, these differences become a subject of ridicule by their friends, turning into bullying. In this situation, the child withdraws, becomes alienated from school, and may even refuse to go to school. At this point, what needs to be done is not just to change the environment or punish the bullies. What is truly important is for the child to be able to transform this experience into a developmental opportunity. Positive psychology offers this perspective. We can see this event not only as a threat but also as an opportunity. We will ask the child, ‘How did this event affect you?’ ‘What did it teach you?’ ‘What will you do if you encounter a similar situation again?’ This is post-traumatic growth. A child subjected to bullying can transform the trauma they experienced into a developmental process. In the psychotherapy process, the method of radical acceptance is used. In this approach, the child accepts the event they experienced instead of rejecting it. Just as we cannot learn to swim without swallowing water or ski without falling, life is learned through certain social and emotional difficulties. Events like peer bullying can also be an opportunity to develop emotional resilience and social skills. The important thing is to be able to learn lessons from these events and continue on our path by increasing our emotional strength.”
“Values education is silent education”
Underlining that the education system should be value-based, Tarhan said: “Values education is silent education. That is, values are not conveyed through conferences. Value-laden education should be taught by making children feel it within lessons and the flow of life. Value transfer is possible even in mathematics, physics, or any other subject. Long value presentations given in conference halls do not reach children, but teamwork when solving a math problem or taking responsibility in a science experiment instills values in a child without them realizing it. Japan and China focus on imparting social-emotional skills to children aged 4-6 instead of overloading them with information. They teach children to share, act together, and solve problems by talking through games. When boys play and one falls, they continue the game, while girls generally run to help. This is because empathy develops earlier genetically in girls. Through these observations, boys are also taught empathy. In this way, the child learns to share, help, manage anger, and share happiness. This enables their brain to see not only academic success but also social relationships as a source of pleasure. Thus, when the child fails, they are not unhappy and can find other paths to happiness. A pleasure system tied to a single area makes children vulnerable, but a multifaceted happiness map increases children's psychological resilience. This is where positive psychology comes in. Positive psychology helps the child recognize and develop their strengths by making them aware of themselves. Education has now become not just about imparting knowledge but a process of emotion management, character development, and value acquisition. If we want to raise happy, strong, resilient individuals, we must rebuild our education system with a value-based approach. The management of ‘Values Education’ is ‘Positive Psychology’.”
The mind tray should be balanced…
Tarhan concluded his speech by stating that positive psychology aims to increase the quality of human life; “Positive psychology is a science that aims for individuals to be healthy, happy, and successful. This approach focuses not only on mental health but also aims to improve a person's overall quality of life. In fact, lifestyle education lies at the core of this understanding. That is, an individual is not content with being successful only academically or professionally but also maintains their physical health and feels emotionally well. These three fundamental elements—happiness, health, and success—are explained by a metaphor called the mind tray or tray of the mind. These three should be placed balanced on the tray. If one side dominates, meaning if a person focuses only on success but neglects their health or ignores their happiness, that balance is disrupted, and the tray topples. Therefore, these three areas should support each other and be developed in a balanced manner. When we can teach young people and children how to establish this balance, we will have provided them with the most accurate and effective positive psychology education. This, in turn, emerges as an approach that strengthens not only individual development but also societal welfare.”