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Welcome to the VIA Intensives!

Note: New dates!!

Sydney, Australia: Dec. 3-5, 2009
Melbourne, Australia: Nov. 26-28, 2009

USA: Chicago:  Sept. 24-26, 2009
Washington, DC: Oct. 22-24, 2009

Questions? Want to talk? E-mail Deb Pinger, Executive Director, or Linda Parker, Senior Editor

The VIA Intensives are for serious practitioners who want to elevate their knowledge and skill through two days of challenging education focused on the VIA.

Positive Psychology has generated, for all strengths-based practice, a complete language of universal terms and concepts that are based on science. These thirty concepts define what is best about human beings. Collected in the VIA Classification, and measured by the VIA Survey on Character (now with 1 million users worldwide) they help people identify and live from their core. And practitioners tell us every day that people who live out their core character strengths report living fuller, more meaningful and satisfying lives, despite changes in their work and social circumstances.
  • Are you as adept as you wish to be at spotting, naming and enhancing the character strengths of others?
  • Are your conversations as effective as you want them to be?
  • Do you know the research thread that backs up the science of each character strength? Do you know how each is related?
  •  What is the best strategy for enhancing fairness? Is there a good intervention to impact humility?

One can imagine the richness of the experience when engaging with a practitioner whose knowledge is rich, and deep, and elaborately scaffolded. Fluency in all aspects of the VIA Classification is what the Intensives are about.

The VIA Intensives are the “Field Guide” to the Character Strengths and Virtues, providing the latest research findings and best practices.

Register for Sydney now!

New dates! Join us for Character Strengths and Virtues in Practice on December 4 and 5, with an opening reception on December 3, at Cliftons downtown.

CE credits available
ICF: The International Coach Federation has approved 14 CCE units: 6.75 in ICF Core Competencies and 7.25 in Other Skills and Tools.
APS: The Australian Psychological Society has endorsed 14 points (CCOM, CCOUN, COP, generalist)

Other cities!

The Intensive will be presented in Melbourne on Nov. 26-28 (Register here)  and in the states in Chicago, IL., on Sept. 24-26 (Register here)  and Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22-24 (Register here)

Learning Objectives

This course is designed to help you:

  • Explain the history, development, purpose and conceptual framework of the VIA Character Strengths and Virtues
  • Explain the interconnection between the VIA Character Strengths and Virtues and the field of positive psychology.
  • List at least 3 examples of research that hve been done with the VIA classification of strengths and virtues.
  • Explain the relationship of character strengths and virtues to basic positive psychology theories, e.g., Seligman's pillars of pleasure/engagement/meaning, Fredrickson's broaden and build theory and Csikszentmihalyi's flow.
  • Briefly describe each of the 6 virtues.
  • Briefly describe, with a few words or phrase, each of the 24 character strengths.
  • Name 2 examples of how character strengths function when in balance and when overplayed.
  • Describe basic concepts related to character strengths, such as plurality, signature strengths, strength alliances, broad vs narrow use, etc.
  • Describe 3 evidence-based interventions that enhance awareness and use of character strengths.
  • Describe 2 interventions for selected character strengths, e.g., optimism/hope, gratitude, curiosity.
  • Explain how to effectively identify character strengths in clients.
  • Describe a 3-step process for engaging in strengths-enhancing conversations with clients.
  • Explain how knowledge of character strengths can be used to enhance positive social relationships (e.g., families, friends, teams).
  • Describe the difference between character strengths and talents and one way to assess each (VIA Survey; Strengths Finder).
  • Demonstrate an effective approach to reviewing the VIA Personal Character Profile (the expanded reports with 5 graphical depictions of character strengths) with a client.
Tuition and Registration Information

Your Instructor

Ryan M. Niemiec, Psy.D., is the VIA Institute's Education Director. He is co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies: Using Films to Build Virtues and Character Strengths and Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology. Dr. Niemiec, is a licensed psychologist and uses  the VIA Character Strengths with clients at Hummingbird Coaching Services. More about Ryan.

Follow Ryan on Twitter