Positive Health and Wellness Division
Election 2018
Biography:
Svala is a medical doctor specialising as a family physician in Denmark and a PhD student
at the University of Iceland. She has a diploma in positive psychology from the same
university, and her main interest is in positive intervention and how physicians and other
health care workers can apply positive psychology in their work. Svala is passionate about
introducing positive psychology and its application to physicians in both primary care and
hospital settings and connecting those that work in the field.
Statement of Interest:
Svala is mainly interested in public health and positive health promotion and feels the
application of positive interventions is extremely relevant in the health care system to
optimise human health wan. She is ambitious about introducing the field of positive
psychology to other health care workers. In working for IPPA‘s health division, she aims to
focus on connecting researchers around the world who are working in the field, establishing
collaborations among key stakeholders and thereby advanceing the field of positive health
and wellness in the world.
Hi Svala,
I have a few questions:
1. Spanning the gulf between research and practice is central to the Division. What would a future where this gap is bridged look like? How can the Division help move us all there?
2. What has been your best experience with the Positive Health and Wellness Division so far? (Could be a program, event, exchange, etc.)
3. Can you give an example of a time where you lead a team that created a successful outcome?
Hey Jenny, sorry for my late answer, my youngest kid had to be operated for badly broken arm :/ she is fine now 🙂
1. I think it is important that we know who is out there applying positive psychology in medicine, and that we connect and share our experiences and research so we can work together. I think it is important that we introduce positive psychology to our colleagues in the field and that we strengthen the field with more research.
The division could have an article “database” where we could share our articles ( not sure how USA laws are though) and the division could maybe also arrange “mini” conferences for the positive health division,more than just meetings at conferences. I am sure it would attract people and help us connect.
AND as being the executive secretary on the ENPP board, I feel IPPA and ENPP should work more together on especially strengthening the contact between those working in positive health in Europe and America ( and of course those in Australia, Asia , South America and Africa too)
2. Connecting with the people I meet at conferences, both IPPA and ENPP ( the European one)conferences and doing a symposium with the great people working with positive health. Am looking forward to continue working with them and presenting in a positive health symposium again at the next IPPA conference next year.
3. I lead a team of pos psych practitioners from the health care sector at the ENPP conference in Budapest this year, we had a Positive Health symposium that was very well accepted. I have been invited to be in charge of another positive health symposium in Australia at IPPA’s conference next year, and am looking forward to that 🙂 I am also hoping to organise a strong line up of people from the public health and positive health field at the next ENPP conference that will be held in my home city Reykjavik in june 2020.
Hope to see you there and in Australia!
Hi Svala, thank you so much for your sustained interest in serving the positive psychology community! What do you feel are the most critical aspects of the Division member experience? In what ways can Divisions become even more effective in their work engaging members?
Thanks for your consideration!
L
Hey Leona, thank you for your questions.
Firstly I think that it is important that those working for the Division are familiar with the application of positive psychology in health care, preferably by first hand. They must of course be interested in introducing positive psychology and its applications in the field and willing to ameliorate the ways we apply and do research on the applicability of positive psychology in the field of health.
I think the division can become more effective if connect and get to know each other and each other’s work, better in the division. That could be done by regularly meeting ( “physically” and on skype 😉 ) . We should be talking strategy, get together and discuss how can we make the field of positive health stronger and work on that together. It is essential that we know who is out there researching / applying positive psychology in the healthcare environment, and that we help each other out.
Hope to see you in Australia and Iceland Leona!