An Undergraduate Positive Psychology Course as Prevention and Outreach

College counseling centers nationwide are having difficulty meeting the increasing demand for services they are seeing. We present an undergraduate positive psychology course taught as outreach and prevention by counseling center therapists as a way to potentially address this demand. During the two primary semesters of the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years, 133 students enrolled in the course and completed pre and post measures. Students evidenced significantly decreased psychological distress, increased psychological well-being, and increased subjective happiness. We discuss the format of this course and its elements as both outreach/prevention and therapeutic interventions to meet the increased demand for services.

全国范围内的大学咨询服务中心正面临满足日益增长服务需求的困境。我们提出了一门由咨询服务中心的咨询师讲授的本科生积极心理学课程，该课程作为外展和预防措施，旨在可能地解决这一需求。在2012-2013学年和2013-2014学年的两个主要学期期间，共有133名学生参加了该课程，并完成了前测和后测。学生表现出显著的心理压力减轻、心理健康水平提升以及主观幸福感增强。我们讨论了该课程的形式及其要素，这些要素既作为外展/预防措施，又作为治疗干预手段，以满足日益增长的服务需求。