Deepening your knowledge of your best qualities and those of others
Cultivating strengths awareness and strengths use to create positive life changes
Boosting mindfulness as an always-available approach to use in life
Offering concrete practices to boost happiness and manage stress and difficulties
Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice
A live, 8-week evidence-based program provides you with practical tips and techniques to use mindfulness and strengths to flourish, enhance well-being, improve relationships and manage life problems and challenges.
MBSP is created by Dr. Ryan Niemiec, Education Director of the VIA Institute.
Program Preview: What’s Inside
The program includes 8 training sessions and 1 half-day retreat in the week between Session 6 and Session 7 for everyday mindful living – exploring mindfulness in daily conversation, eating, walking, sitting, reflecting, and the nuances therein.
Session 1: Mindfulness and Autopilot
Insights and change opportunities start with mindful attention.
SESSION 2: Signature Strengths, Character Strengths
You can find greater well-being, engagement, and meaning by using your highest strengths.
SESSION 3: Obstacles and Struggles are Opportunities
Learn how to take a strengths mindset with life challenges and your meditation practice.
SESSION 4: Mindful Living, with Strengths
Any action (walking, eating, driving, etc.) has the potential to be infused with the energy of mindfulness and the energy of character strengths.
SESSION 5: Strengthen Your Relationships
Mindful attending can nourish two types of relationships: relationships with others and your relationship with yourself.
SESSION 6: The Golden Mean
Mindfulness helps you discover optimal strengths use to reframe opportunities, problems and life challenges.
SESSION 7: Authenticity and Goodness
Are you working toward becoming better at “being you” (authenticity) or are you focused on becoming a “better person” (goodness)?
SESSION 8: Your Engagement with Life
Learn how to stick with practices that have been working well and watch your mind’s tendency to revert back to automatic habits that are deficit-based, unproductive, or ultimately self-defeating.
Who Should Take This Program
Anyone interested in learning how to blend mindfulness and character strengths—two practices, each historically rooted in philosophy, theology, psychology and other disciplines—to create a holistic, positive approach to improve well-being and happiness.
Teachers, managers, coaches, and counselors may find it particularly beneficial to experience and develop their own practice of mindfulness and strengths before attempting to teach mindfulness/strengths to others.
Snippet from the program
Copyright notice: The information on this page is from the VIA Institute On Character.
What special about us
We integrate the science-based approach (Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, Stress Reduction, Positive Psychology, and Mindfulness) and Contemplative Wisdom (especially mindfulness in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh) to make the program both rigorous and deep.