Positive Psychology Research: An Interview with Priscilla Akutu-Carter (Courage Scholar)
Priscilla Akutu-Carter is a Registered PPG Professional Member and Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner from the UK who graduated from the Level 7 Diploma Applied Positive Psychology Research in 2025. She is also a Courage Scholar on Positive Psychology for Violence and Post Traumatic Growth. Below is an interview with Ola Hardbattle on her research journey.
What motivated you to apply for the PPG Courage Scholarship?
Motivation is one thing – but the journey that led me to the Courage Scholarship application is another! Prior to applying, I had completed my training in Coaching Psychology, which exposed me to several psychological approaches and their application to Coaching. I was particularly drawn to the discipline of Positive Psychology.
At the same time, I founded a social enterprise – one element of which was a 16-week psychologically informed group programme called Beyond Surviving, which was designed to support female survivors of domestic violence and abuse. My interest in Positive Psychology manifested in the foundations of the programme, which uses Positive Psychology and mindfulness-based interventions coupled with individual coaching. I oversaw a wonderful team of academic psychologists, researchers, and coaching practitioners. We partnered with 2 London local authorities (London Borough of Croydon and London Borough of Bromley), Women’s Aid and Hestia to run a pilot programme. The pilot was run as research in association with University of Greenwich and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). The outcomes from the pilot were extremely positive and I was keen to deepen my knowledge of Positive Psychology and integrate these learnings into my practice. At the time, I considered a MAPP (Masters in Applied Positive Psychology) degree and spoke to several friends, but somehow – this didn’t feel quite right.
One of the practitioners on my programme was undertaking a MAPP under Dr Piers Worth and found out about the PPG Courage Scholarship. She shared this with me and strongly suggested that I made an application. I looked through the application and the contents of the Scholarship and knew that I had to apply!
It’s a very long answer – but with hindsight, it’s an interesting to consider the events that led up to the application, which almost seem fated!
What did you research and what drew you to this topic?
Throughout my scholarship journey, I have focused my research on domestic violence and abuse (DVA), which continued through to my Level 7 research. In the UK, the subject of DVA resurfaced back into public consciousness at the time of the pandemic. I’ve consistently worked with survivors since this time and observed high levels of grit, determination, and resilience in individuals. I also noticed that many had experienced DVA in multiple relationships. Research into re-victimisation is limited – however there is crime data and other sources of evidence-based research which focuses on perpetrators and repeat offenders. Credibly, this research forms the basis of government funded perpetrator intervention programmes aimed at reducing harms. But research and interventions focused on perpetrators alone, does not address the issue. To do this, work must be done to understand the behaviours and circumstances that lead an individual to entering multiple abusive relationships. I wanted to get close to the lived experience, so I used a single case study – choosing to go narrow, but deep. I used a ‘life story’ approach choosing a semi-structured format, to access the participant’s life (from aged 5 through to present day) across 3 separate interviews. My participant was a previous participant on my programme, so she was known to me. My research was entitled: “How does she keep going?” An existential phenomenological analysis of re-victimisation, domestic violence and abuse (DVA). My approach was both existential and phenomenological – I used a life story approach to guide the research design and participant narrative, embodied inquiry as a phenomenological opener to the participant’s lived experience and thick description during data collection and analysis phases, to help me delve deeper into the data.
What new insights about courage have you gained/ have emerged for you?
Courage is so multi-faceted, and I’ve gained many insights over the years. I define courage as an intentional set of actions requiring will and agency. Courage stands firm despite the presence of risk or fear. For me, courage is driven by meaning, despite fears, and the belief that my research (and its potential implications) is far bigger than me. Situationally, courage was required when my original research partner pulled out of our project at short notice! Despite feeling quite discouraged at the time, courage (and grit) played a significant role in helping me get back on track. More broadly, I believe that the research process is in itself – a courageous act. I resonate with the title of psychologist Dr Susan Jeffers’ self-help book, “Feel the fear and do it anyway”.
How has doing this research influenced you as a practitioner?
I identify as a scientist-practitioner and advocate for the development of evidence-based research and using evidence-based research to form practice. I recall a lecture during the Level 5 Positive Psychology Fundamentals part of my course where Dr Reece Coker advised us to investigate the history and foundations of Positive Psychology and reminded us of the 17th Century Japanese Haiku masters saying “Do not seek to follow the footsteps of the wise; seek what the masters sought”. Prior to this point, I had a vague appreciation of the philosophical underpinnings of Positive Psychology, but this advice led me to dig deeper into various philosophical traditions, which led me to existentialism and existential psychology. This discovery impacted the direction of my research, but also how I practiced. It altered the way that I prepared myself as a practitioner and it led me to develop a deep interest in my client’s lifeworld and broader existence. As a practitioner, my sessions deepened and encompassed more conversations that broadened beyond their presenting problems – I focused in on embodiment and guiding clients in understanding their own interoceptive messages. I found myself moving beyond disciplines and models, towards something looser and integrative.
Which strengths and values have supported you most as a PPG research scholar?
I re-take my VIA assessment every couple of years and have seen changes in the ordering of my top 7 strengths, but one strength that continually reappears is creativity. Prior to starting my scholarship, any research that I had undertaken was predominantly quantitative, so my research journey opened me up to the world of qualitative research and as a consequence – a new way of being. I place a high value on personal freedom and autonomy and embraced research as a creative process. One of the things that I have enjoyed the most, has been the ability to express my creativity through the research process – integrating approaches and defining new models!
Was there a moment during your research that particularly moved or surprised you?
Interestingly – one of the most surprising realisations came when I moved from my Level 5 foundation studies to Level 7 research. As most people will be able to appreciate, studying as a mature student requires discipline as we navigate the continual demands of life. Having spent a couple of decades in the banking sector, I had always prided myself on my ability to persevere and at the time, saw this as a quality. I applied this approach to my research and throughout my Level 5, I viewed my ability to remain absorbed and fixated on my work for extraordinarily long periods of time (without eating), or even working through the night as a quality. When I reached my Level 7, I fully researched, referenced and presented 3 individual proposals – which applied completely different research methods before arriving at my final research area. I saw this as the overuse of my creativity! What I had failed to notice was the presence of ADHD. Despite having several neurodiverse clients and researching the topic, I had never thought to apply them to me. I consulted with 2 psychologists who were able to confirm my suspicions. This realisation put a lot of things in my life into context – both as a student and a professional. Understanding this impacted my life more broadly as it grants me an awareness of how I may approach things differently and in turn, apply self-compassion where necessary. More importantly, it helps me with developing processes and tools to help me manage and self-regulate myself. For me – having an accountability partner works wonders – I am very fortunate to have a supportive partner who knows my ‘research days’ and does a great job of checking in on me to make sure I’m taking regular breaks and that I’m fed and hydrated!
What advice would you offer to people interested in researching Positive Psychology and Post Traumatic Growth?
Positive Psychology is such a broad area of research, so my advice would be to read widely. The discipline is ever evolving, and I would argue that we have moved on significantly from Seligman’s foundational work in 2000. There is much to learn from related psychological disciplines such as humanistic and existential approaches etc. In psychology, there is an increasing move towards multi-modal approaches and integrative practice, and I think Positive Psychology benefits from building on and integrating a broad range of theories and underpinning philosophies.
One of the most interesting things that I have found in both research and practice is observing the concurrent experience of both distress and growth and in many instances the strength of the human spirit as they seek to transcend difficulty. Post-traumatic growth is a fascinating area of research. If you have an interest in the human capacity for growth and change in the face of adversity and challenge – you won’t be disappointed.
Do you have any advice for future PPG Courage Scholars on how to approach or engage in this journey?
This question reminds of Soren Kierkegaard’s quote which says “life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”. There is so much that I have learned over the scholarship journey. My top 3 pieces of advice that I would offer are:
Research your interests. I’ve heard this said by many PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers. When you have a keen interest in a topic, or a particular group within society – follow that. It will be your guiding principle and external motivator during the times when your research may feel overwhelming.
Stay connected. Chris Peterson was right when he said, “other people matter”. This is true of many things in life but is especially true when it comes to research. When you are working on a joint piece of research, you continually have other creative minds to explore your thoughts and challenge you in a healthy way. Solo research is different and I found it especially helpful to ensure I was regularly connected to my supervisors and attended the group supervision calls. Both served me in different ways – in my sessions with my supervisors, I gained from their wisdom and direction, in group supervision sessions, I benefited from my peer’s wisdom and was often inspired by discussions or progress others were making in their journey. The support of a research community made all the difference for my journey.
Embrace the process. This is easier said than done, whilst you’re dealing with competing demands and working towards deadlines! Whilst research is empirical, the research process is more of an art than a science. I find time blocking particularly effective and accountability partners to help motivate (or regulate you). The enjoyment of the process evolved as I matured in the process. I learned to let go of the previously regimented timelines – where I made personal goals to complete in each sitting and instead, tightened up on my planning and time blocking, which allowed me to loosen the reigns on my own expectations. This made me feel so much more at ease and often times, I make far more progress than I anticipated – I certainly feel less stressed!
Looking ahead, how do you see courage shaping your professional journey?
I see courage being foundational to all that I do in my professional journey as a researcher and practitioner. I understand that courage is required at every encounter with ‘newness’ in my life. Courage helps me to reconcile with the fact that fear and challenges will always be present, but if I have a compelling why – if there is meaning to what I am doing, this always gives me a compelling reason to push forwards.
About Priscilla Akutu-Carter
Priscilla is an independent consultant, qualified psychologist, and certified coach. She has over 18-years’ experience delivering transformation, leadership development, and cultural change within national and international corporate organisations.
Born and raised in the UK, Priscilla’s clients include national and international organisations, working across Europe, US and APAC delivering across sectors including financial services, retail central and local government.
As an award-winning researcher, Priscilla’s research interests include applied psychology and psychologically informed coaching interventions within the workplace.