Positive Psychology Researchers

Hala is one of the Positive Psychology Guild's Courage Scholars. Over the next two years (2020-2022), she will be training as a Positive Psychology Practitioner and conducting her own research study on Positive Psychology for Violence and Post Traumatic Growth. She is a humanitarian aid worker who has been working internationally since 2013. With a specialisation in human resources, she has worked with several international NGOs including International Medical Corps, Doctors Without Borders and the Danish Refugee Council. Outside of work, Hala’s interest is focused mainly on interfaith and global dialogues. In 2013, she was awarded the Leaders for Democracy fellowship in Syracuse university in New York, USA and in 2018 she participated in the Asian Forum for Global Governance. Later same year she was part of the Raisina Dialogue that took place in India. She is an avid advocate for refugee and human rights and consider global dialogue to be the leading way to break stereotypes around the world. Hala is also a keen sportswoman who enjoys boxing and meditation.

Caitlin is one of the Positive Psychology Guild's Courage Scholars. Over the next two years (2020-2022), she will be training as a Positive Psychology Practitioner and conducting her own research study on Positive Psychology for Violence and Post Traumatic Growth. A humanitarian aid worker and holistic wellbeing practitioner-in-development, she has had a keen interest in psychology since she was 16 years old, going on to study it at university (both Bachelor’s and Master’s level), followed by six years in the humanitarian sector in war zones where she managed mental health and psychosocial support programmes. During university, Caitlin studied basic counselling skills, and intends to continue these studies to become an accredited counsellor in the UK in the coming years. With a primary interest in qualitative research, her research includes, 'Barriers to accessing psychosocial support for humanitarian aid workers: A mixed methods enquiry', which was published in the Disasters Journal (18.6.20). Before starting on the journey into the world of psychology and mental health care, Caitlin managed her own small business for ten years selling customised, personalised, polymer clay penguins. As you do.

Jesica is one of the Positive Psychology Guild's Courage Scholars. Over the next two years (2020-2022), she will be training as a Positive Psychology Practitioner and conducting her own research study on Positive Psychology for Violence and Post Traumatic Growth. During the past five years, she has developed a career in human resources and furthered her qualifications in psychology, research, and health. During her studies at Gardner Goleman School, she engaged in professional practice with teenager behaviour and later worked closely with people who have disabilities. After graduating in psychology, Jesica completed a diploma at ¨Hospital Español¨ in health psychology and worked at My Little Steps (daycare) with children and their parents. There, she observed and diagnosed children with different problems and worked them through their challenges, side by side with their parents. Her past research has focused on positive youth development in her home country, Mexico, and showed that young communities react better when they are encouraged to focus on their abilities. In addition to her Positive Psychology studies, Jesica is also set to embark on a Masters of Science in Mental Health at Northeastern University. She is passionate about the ocean and enjoys snorkeling, swimming, diving, and water ski-iing.

Priscilla is one of the Positive Psychology Guild's Courage Scholars. Over the next two years (2020-2022), she will be training as a Positive Psychology Practitioner and conducting her own research study on Positive Psychology for Violence and Post Traumatic Growth. She has a portfolio career and spends part of her week working as a Senior Management Consultant specialising in regulatory and organisational change in the banking & financial services industry. Priscilla has recently re-trained to become a coaching psychologist, which is a skillset she puts to active use within her social enterprise - ’EncouragingHer’. She has published journal articles within Coaching Psychology International and presented at the International Society for Coaching Psychology annual conference on her research. Priscilla is the co-chair of a large financial institution Bi+ network in addition to her role as a member of the organisation’s LGBTQ+ steering committee. Priscilla also supports the national charity Smart Works – which is an organisation focused on helping unemployed women return back to work. She works for the organisation as an Interview Coach, where she has the privilege of working with women at all levels of their careers. Outside of work, she enjoys meditation, mindfulness, travel, and forest trekking.

Alex is one of the Positive Psychology Guild's Courage Scholars. Over the next year (2021-2022) she will be exploring the possible applications of Positive Psychology in counseling settings. She runs a psychotherapy practice (GET Therapy Ltd.) based in Manchester and is currently researching violence, trauma, and self-defence. She specialises in working with adults struggling to live with their post-traumatic stress responses, mostly after experiencing violence or abuse. She goes beyond the traditional talking therapies and incorporates the body. Alex believes we can do more than survive and even thrive post-trauma. Learning self-defence has inspired her to explore the part it can play in managing post-trauma responses, trauma-processing and Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). Another interest is in PTG in the loved ones that support survivors on their journeys. She has co-written and hosts a workshop to support those living with survivors, run through Greater Manchester Rape Crisis. She surrounds herself with passionate and inspiring people and leads a life of travel for adventure, love, and work. She loves animals and plans to get back to working with wildlife or rescue animals, if her feline overlords will spare her.

Claire is the COO of the Positive Psychology Guild and a Positive Psychology Practitioner & Researcher. She holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict & Development and an MSc in Exercise & Sport Psychology. Outside of PPG, she runs a research, coaching, and training practice (Inner Athletics Ltd.) that focuses on performance, stress, and recovery and movement, exercise, and sport from the perspectives of Positive Psychology and Exercise & Sport Psychology. A former humanitarian practitioner, she has worked with different branches of the United Nations and International Red Cross across the Middle East, where she also lived for 40 years. Her work covered health and education for refugees, prison reform, violence and conflict, and monitoring the treatment of political prisoners in line with International Humanitarian Law. She is also a black belt martial artist (2nd dan, karate, JKA) and certified self-defence and fitness instructor, and has competed in judo. These experiences and her personal encounters with violence and stress led to postgraduate research on the motivation to teach martial arts and self-defence. Her current research under the PPG Somatics & Kinaesthetics Initiative is on the psychophysiology of fear, action, and movement, and the motivation to practice a form of movement, exercise, and/or sport over time.