Psychoeducational programs towards well-being and mental health prevention: Positive Psychology and Coaching Applied in Educational Settings

Traditionally, the focus of health-related areas has exclusively been the treatment of suffering, reduction of pain, and deficiencies (Vazquez et al., 2009). The traditional conceptualization of mental health as the absence of psychopathology in psychology and psychiatry illustrated a bipolar relation between mental health and mental illness in which individuals are either mentally ill or mentally healthy rather than considering their psychological development (Keyes, 2005). The emphasis on the positive functioning and the development of positive psychological strategies started to emerge two decades ago with investigations that have studied positive theories and models (e.g., Seligman, 2002). With the introduction of this new vision, the traditional focus on reduction of symptoms and illnesses is increasingly changing towards a new understanding of mental health that considers not only the treatment of psychopathology but also the promotion of the personal optimal performance (Keyes, 2005). This latter approach has been conceptualized as Positive Psychology