James Fitzgerald Therapy, PLLC

James Fitzgerald, MS, NCC, AAP, Psychotherapist

Strengthening Your Conscious Self © 2022

Updates to this page are made regularly

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This area of the website is for James Fitzgerald’s therapy and wellness program clients only. If you have reached this website in error, please notify the website owner, and choose another page to exit.

QUICK LINKS TO PROGRAM DOMAINS

The first step in any new endeavor in which we set out to make changes, big or small, is to measure our readiness to make changes. We must decide what areas of our life need improvement. We must decide if we are in a place where the changes being proposed are even realistically possible (i.e., do we have shelter, food, clothing, transportation, communication, safety, and security) as these basic human needs should be addressed first. We then must also discern if we have the strengths, ability, capacity, awareness, insight, and openness to embark on this journey. Some people will want to absorb everything there is to learn from this program, others will want to resist some of the program information being offered, and others will struggle along the way to making significant changes in their life. If some – or all – of this program just isn’t agreeable to you, I completely understand.

Click the blue banner buttons to visit that course or topic page.

INTRODUCTION

This section provides a brief overview of the program, why there is so much information when other coaches seem to be specializing more and more, and why all the domains are important and should be addressed. This section will address the following. Health and Wellness program and life coaching agreement, intake process, and orientation to the program. Assessment process of surveys, questionnaires, and strengths exploration; in order to assess individuals for readiness to change, openness to new ideas, ability to comprehend the material, capacity to complete the training, and severity of problems. Diagnostic considerations to rule out higher level of care needs. Planning out the individualized program and setting SMART goals. Program evaluation and outcome measurements. 

SCIENCE OF THE PROGRAM

This section will cover the natural sciences and social sciences, why there is so much information, and why it is important for me to learn about them. The goal is not for you to have the equivalent knowledge of a professional expert in every topic, but you will know enough about each topic so you can understand the aspects of this program.

ASSESSMENTS & TRACKING PROGRESS

This section will describe the assessments you may engage in during the program. You will be offered the assessments. Not everyone will engage in all of the assessment tools. They are designed to measure a baseline of functioning, and a benchmark to measure progress in the program. Therapy clients are also offered the same assessments and neither clients are required to take all of them or any of them.

INTRAPERSONAL (SELF) DOMAIN

Intrapersonal skills are based on knowledge and understanding about what goes on inside of us, ‘intra’ meaning inside. Intrapersonal skills are needed for leading our three subsystems in an optimal manner: emotions, thoughts, and awareness. To create a meaningful life, enhance productivity and nurture happiness, these three subsystems need to work in seamless cooperation together along with the physical body. (Lass, 2022, Thrive Global)

INTRAPERSONAL (SELF/SHADOW) INTERVENTIONS

Self-awareness forms the basis of all intra-personal skills. If we can purposely lead our internal world so that our inner processes support our outer actions everything becomes easier. Learning of intrapersonal skills has a potential to open up other skills; much like learning to read does; when we learn to read, many other skills and competencies can be developed and new avenues open up. When we can lead our inner activities with ease, it gives us peace of mind to deal with every kind of outer processes with much greater ease. (Lass, 2022, Thrive Global)

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS (SELF & OTHERS) DOMAIN

The Interpersonal Domain has to do with people interacting with each other. The word “interpersonal” has to do with relationships between people. This domain is particularly broad in scope. There are many different ways that people relate to each other, that can be explored through training, lessons, courses or classes about the Interpersonal Domain. Much of the emphasis of the interpersonal domain is on social behavior. (Wikiversity)

Sections and courses in this domain will cover the following topics: Relationships; Family History; Cultural Background; Marriage/Partners/Intimacy; Family Dynamics and Extended Family; Parenting/Children; Sexual Orientation; Relationship Style Orientation; Close Intimate Friendships; Close Intimate Friendship Groups; Social Psychology; and Business Management.

INTERPERSONAL (RELATIONSHIP EFFECTIVENESS) INTERVENTIONS

Sections and courses in this domain will cover the following interventions and topics: Gottman Method Marriage & Family Counseling; Interpersonal Psychotherapy; Wiley & Sons Publishing Treatment & Homework Planners; The Five Love Languages Informed Therapy; Dan Siegel & Mindful Positive Parenting; Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills – Interpersonal Effectiveness; Non-Violent Conflict Resolution; Emotion Focused Therapy; Imago Relationship Therapy; Narrative Therapy; and Internal Family Systems Therapy for Couples & Families.

SOCIAL DOMAIN

Sections and courses in this domain will cover the following topics: Social Intelligence; Social Groups; Organizations ; Politics; Educational/Academic; Occupational Stress; Occupational Health & Safety; Financial Literacy; Religion; Community; Cultural Diversity

ENVIRONMENTAL/ECOLOGICAL DOMAIN

The Environmental Wellness Dimension involves being able to be safe and feel safe. This can include: Accessing clean air, food, and water; Preserving the areas where we live, learn, and work; Occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support our well-being; and Promoting learning, contemplation, and relaxation in natural places and spaces.

ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM (SOCIAL & GLOBAL) INTERVENTIONS

Social movements have played a critical role in challenging dictators, advancing democracy, gaining rights and addressing environmental issues in communities around the globe. Many of us celebrate and enjoy the benefits achieved through the efforts of past social movement participants before us: Women around the world have engaged in hunger strikes, demonstrations, and community canvassing to secure the same rights as their male counterparts, with a century of achievements accrued in response. In more recent decades social movements have won LGBTIQA+ and disability rights, democratic freedoms and elevated demands for the rights of nature. Social movements have changed the world many times over.

Activism and advocacy involves more than just holding rallies and petitions. There are many other things activists must do to advance their cause, which include: design social movement campaigns, implement actions to persuade others of the justness of their cause, motivate supporters to join their cause, seek support from third parties such as the media and other interest groups, suppress/avoid counter-mobilization, avoid radicalization and factionalism within their own ranks. (University of Queensland, AU)

Scroll down for more sections of each module

For my clients who are subscribed to the ‘Strengthening Your Conscious Self’ Health & Wellness Program. The coaching agreement is not necessary for my therapy clients with access to the coaching program. The informed consent agreement for therapy will outline the health & wellness program disclaimer for them.

Health & Wellness Life Coaching Agreement

Like any good service provider, a good health and wellness life coach knows they should have a signed legal agreement with clients. A service agreement sets the tone for the relationship going forward, outlines expectations, and includes all relevant information that clients need to know when getting started. A coaching agreement is a service agreement designed specifically for the coaching relationship. It’s vital to have a good, readable agreement for coaching, given the way most clients likely interact with agreements like these. People are used to service agreements for things like internet service and utilities, but they generally handle them by immediately scrolling to the bottom and clicking “sign” without having read any of the content. As a coach, I want to set you up for success, and getting on the same page via a well-crafted coaching agreement and coaching plan is one of the first opportunities to set the right tone.

Program Orientation

A wellness plan refers to any plan of action formulated to achieve sound health and well-being. If you want this simple definition broken down further, “health” can refer to both physical and mental health. At the same time, “well-being” involves a person’s overall mental and emotional state, especially in terms of how happy or satisfied they are on top of being physically healthy. For a health & wellness plan to be truly effective, it needs to be holistic. This means that it must address issues beyond just physical and mental health. Each aspect of the wellness plan should be interconnected to produce results that are greater than the sum of its parts. The scope of a holistic wellness plan typically includes multiple life domains.

Assessment of Life Domains

Reflecting on our sense of happiness in different key areas of life can be difficult, especially if our life seems to be going well. Sometimes feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction just seem to find us, and it’s up to us to take the time to explore why this might be. How you do that will depend on a number of different things, but if you’re struggling to get to grips with it, there are plenty of psychology tools and resources to help. One of those tools is the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). There are other science-based exercises that explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance your wellbeing.

Diagnostic Considerations

A life coach is a type of wellness professional who helps people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment. Life coaches aid their clients in improving their relationships, careers, and day-to-day lives. Life coaches can help you clarify your goals, identify the obstacles holding you back, and then come up with strategies for overcoming each obstacle. By creating these strategies, life coaches target your unique skills and gifts. By helping you to make the most of your strengths, life coaches provide the support you need to achieve long-lasting change.

Although there may be some overlap in the benefits of working with a life coach and participating in psychotherapy with a licensed therapist, these professionals have distinct roles and serve unique purposes. Unlike life coaches, therapists and other mental health professionals focus on healing, treating mental health conditions, and helping people work through trauma and other issues from their past. While working with a life coach may help you to deal with certain unresolved issues, life coaches cannot treat mood disorders, anxiety disorders, addiction, or any other diagnosed mental health condition.

Therapists have received a Master’s degree and are licensed mental health professionals. They must follow an ethical code and adhere to federal and state regulations regarding confidentiality and ongoing education. Life coaches, on the other hand, are not governed by a board and don’t have to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and its privacy rules that help protect your personal health information. To that end, a life coach should never be considered as a substitute for a mental health professional. If you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health problem (such as feelings of hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disruption, and mood disturbance), it’s crucial to consult a mental health professional as soon as possible.

Program Planning with SMART goals

SMART stands for: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time bound. Specific goals are clearer, and easier to achieve and get started! When goals are measurable, this tells you when a goal or action is complete and helps you track progress. To be successful, you need direct control over the action steps needed to achieve the goal. We stay motivated and avoid overwhelm and unnecessary stress and frustration by making the goal realistic. A goal with an end-date helps us stay focused and motivated, inspiring us with a date to work towards. A SMART goal is easier to achieve because it’s so clearly thought out and defined.

SMART goal setting is an art! We start with a vision or an idea and gradually refine it, making it more specific and measurable so that it becomes a goal we can take action on. A coach sits on the outside asking questions to help you refine and hone your ideas so that your goals become actionable, achievable – and SMART!

Program Evaluation and Outcome Measurements

To help you realize a return on your investment and recognize the worth of engaging in health & wellness life coaching, I invite each client to fully explore the impact and importance of achieving their defined goals. Assessments and surveys will be employed throughout the process to monitor progress. Additionally, reflecting on your goal achievements and impact during the course of and after coaching often reveals impacts far greater than expected. You will also have the opportunity to evaluate me as your coach, the specific elements of the program, and the overall quality of the program.

 

Physics

What is physics? Physics is the branch of science that deals with the structure of matter and how the fundamental constituents of the universe interact. It studies objects ranging from the very small using quantum mechanics to the entire universe using general relativity.

Quantum Physics

Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics needed to deal with submicroscopic objects. Because these objects are smaller than we can observe directly with our senses and generally must be observed with the aid of instruments, parts of quantum mechanics seem as foreign and bizarre as parts of relativity. But, like relativity, quantum mechanics has been shown to be valid—truth is often stranger than fiction.

Biology

Biology is the science that studies living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments. Science attempts to describe and understand the nature of the universe in whole or in part by rational means. Science has many fields. Those fields related to the physical world and its phenomena are natural sciences. Science can be basic or applied. The main goal of basic science is to expand knowledge without any expectation of short-term practical application of that knowledge. The primary goal of applied research, however, is to solve practical problems. (openstax)

Genetics

Psychological researchers study genetics in order to better understand the biological factors that contribute to certain behaviors. While all humans share certain biological mechanisms, we are each unique. And while our bodies have many of the same parts—brains and hormones and cells with genetic codes—these are expressed in a wide variety of behaviors, thoughts, and reactions. (openstax)

Neuroscience

Neuroscience, also known as Neural Science, is the study of how the nervous system develops, its structure, and what it does. Neuroscientists focus on the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions.

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections after injuries, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that differs from how it previously functioned. These changes range from individual neuron pathways making new connections, to systematic adjustments like cortical remapping. Examples of neuroplasticity include circuit and network changes that result from learning a new ability, environmental influences, practice, and psychological stress.

Anatomy & Physiology

Anatomy is the study of the structures associated with the human body. Physiology is the study of the function of each of these structures. The human body is often thought of as a complicated machine. In order for the machine to work, it must have all of its parts but in addition each of these parts must function optimally. If organs or organ systems are not functioning properly, then the individual is described as having disease.

Nutritional Science

Nutritional Sciences is the study of food, nutrients, and other food substances, the intake and biochemical processing of food substances, their relationship to health and disease, and the application of this information to policy and programs. Its application is far reaching. Nutritional scientists understand how food is digested, absorbed, and metabolized at different stages of life, and investigate the effects of nutrient deficiencies and excesses to prevent and treat disease. Those who work in the field of nutritional science also draw on knowledge of the social sciences to understand the socio-cultural, psychological, economic, and political factors influencing food choice and health statues. Foci within the field include diverse approaches, from the study of biochemical pathways and interactions with genetics, to observing population intake and relationship to health outcomes (nutritional epidemiology), to designing and testing nutrition interventions to improve community health, to managing nutrition programs and policies to ensure access to nutritious food, among others. (UMass Lowell)

Sport Psychology

Sport psychology is a proficiency that uses psychological knowledge and skills to address optimal performance and well-being of athletes, developmental and social aspects of sports participation, and systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations. APA recognizes sport psychology as a proficiency acquired after a doctoral degree in one of the primary areas of psychology and licensure as a psychologist. This proficiency does not include those who have earned a doctoral degree in sport psychology but are not licensed psychologists. (American Psychological Association)

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Psychologists are actively involved in studying and understanding mental processes, brain functions, and behavior. The field of psychology is considered a “Hub Science” with strong connections to the medical sciences, social sciences, and education (Boyack, Klavans, & Borner, 2005).

Psychiatry

Psychiatry is the branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (an M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems. People seek psychiatric help for many reasons. The problems can be sudden, such as a panic attack, frightening hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, or hearing “voices.” Or they may be more long-term, such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anxiousness that never seem to lift or problems functioning, causing everyday life to feel distorted or out of control. (American Psychiatric Association)

Philosophy

The goal of philosophy is to provide a coherent story of how the world as it appears to us can be explained in a way that also makes sense of what the sciences tells us. Given the influence of philosophy on world history, it is worthwhile to engage with the writings of past philosophers to inform our understanding of pressing philosophical questions of today.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-philosophy/pages/1-introduction

Sociology

Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/1-introduction

Climate Science

Climate science investigates the structure and dynamics of earth’s climate system. It seeks to understand how global, regional and local climates are maintained as well as the processes by which they change over time. In doing so, it employs observations and theory from a variety of domains, including meteorology, oceanography, physics, chemistry and more. These resources also inform the development of computer models of the climate system, which are a mainstay of climate research today. This entry provides an overview of some of the core concepts and practices of contemporary climate science as well as philosophical work that engages with them. The focus is primarily on epistemological and methodological issues that arise when producing climate datasets and when constructing, using and evaluating climate models. Some key questions and findings about anthropogenic climate change are also discussed.

Parker, Wendy, “Climate Science”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2018 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Retrieved from <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2018/entries/climate-science/>.

Agricultural Science

Agricultural sciences, include studying food and fiber production and processing. They include the technologies of soil cultivation, crop cultivation and harvesting, animal production, and the processing of plant and animal products for human consumption and use.

Shaw, B. Thomas , Preuschen, . Gerhardt , Ekstrom, . George F. , Palmer, . Ralph Anthony , Campbell, . John R. and Curtis, . Stanley Evan (2022, February 23). agricultural sciencesEncyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/agricultural-sciences

Ecological Science

Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, and natural history. Ecology is a branch of biology, and it is not synonymous with environmentalism. Among other things, ecology is the study of: the abundance, biomass, and distribution of organisms in the context of the environment; life processes, antifragility, interactions, and adaptations; the movement of materials and energy through living communities; the successional development of ecosystems; cooperation, competition, and predation within and between species; and patterns of biodiversity and its effect on ecosystem processes.

Environmental Science

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that draws on ecology, geology, meteorology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics to study environmental problems and human impacts on the environment. Environmental science is a quantitative discipline with both applied and theoretical aspects and has been influential in informing the policies of governments around the world. Environmental science is considered separate from environmental studies, which emphasizes the human relationship with the environment and the social and political dimensions thereof.

Kte’pi, B. (2022, September 20). environmental scienceEncyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/science/environmental-science

Engineering

Engineering is the application of science to the optimum conversion of the resources of nature to the uses of humankind. The field has been defined by the Engineers Council for Professional Development, in the United States, as the creative application of “scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.” The term engineering is sometimes more loosely defined, especially in Great Britain, as the manufacture or assembly of engines, machine tools, and machine parts.

Smith, R. J. (2022, August 31). engineeringEncyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/engineering

Feng Shui

The Chinese art of determining the most propitious design and placement of a grave, building, room, etc, so that the maximum harmony is achieved between the flow of chi of the environment and that of the user, believed to bring good fortune.

Architecture

To put it simply, architecture refers to the planning, designing, and construction of a building. This term can be used for a similar process for any structure. It can also be used to reference the structure itself. This process is often utilitarian in nature — there is a specific purpose for the building and it is designed to best fit that purpose. However, there are countless examples of artistic considerations factored into architectural designs. Although artistic elements are often present, architecture is as much a science as an art. There are a lot of factors to consider when putting together the plans for a building. Earthquakes, excessive wind, frequent rainfall — all of these things can have drastic effects on a building. Any environmental possibilities are taken into account when designing a building. The goal is to create a functional space that will withstand any possible conditions for a long period of time.

Economics

Economics is the scientific study of the ownership, use, and exchange of scarce resources – often shortened to the science of scarcity. Economics is regarded as a social science because it uses scientific methods to build theories that can help explain the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations. Economics attempts to explain economic behavior, which arises when scarce resources are exchanged.

Political Science

Social sciences study how people interact with and relate to one another. Political science, with its emphasis on political systems and the distribution of power, falls into this larger academic category. A multidisciplinary field, political science draws from some other social sciences, including sociology, economics, psychology, and anthropology.

Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is the network of government and private agencies intended to manage accused and convicted criminals. The criminal justice system is comprised of multiple interrelated pillars, consisting of academia, law enforcement, forensic services, the judiciary, and corrections. These pillars are fashioned to support the ideals of legal justice. Legal justice is the result of forging the rights of individuals with the government’s corresponding duty to ensure and protect those rights – referred to as due process. These constitutional entitlements cannot be given and protected without the abiding commitments of those professionals working in the criminal justice system. Consequently, such professionals must submit themselves to the ethical principles of the criminal justice system and evidence persistent integrity in their character. This is accomplished with the help of a worthy code of professional ethics that signals competence, reliability, accountability, and overall trustworthiness – when properly administered. Retrieved from:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/criminal-justice-system

Computer Engineering & Robotics

Robotics engineering is a field of engineering which centers on building machines that replicate human actions. A robotics engineer creates these applications or autonomous machines (aka robots) for industries such as mining, manufacturing, automotive, services and more.

Computer Programming

Computer programming is the process of writing code to facilitate specific actions in a computer, application or software program, and instructs them on how to perform. Computer programmers are professionals that create instructions for a computer to execute by writing and testing code that enables applications and software programs to operate successfully.

Artificial Intelligence (Heuristic vs Algorithm)

Artificial Intelligence comes in two major types, heuristic or rule-based, and statistical or evidence-based.

The heuristic approach, which dominated for the first several decades of AI research, depends entirely upon recipes for solving data-processing and decision problems that have been thought out and encoded by human programmers. Its researchers have also historically been attracted to working on problems that lent themselves to symbolic representations, binary notions of truth, and discrete decisions.  For the latter reasons, this kind of AI has also been called ‘symbolic’.  The flowchart may serve as its icon.

The statistical approach, which has gained a tremendous amount of market share in the practice of AI in recent decades, uses optimization techniques to automatically improve the performance of a piece of software, based on evidence present in measurement data.  Its researchers have been successful at developing data analysis and control systems that work well with continuous-valued or analog signals, as well as discrete or symbolic data.  This kind of AI is also called ‘machine learning’.  The regression plot could perhaps serve as its icon.

The Internet of Things & Wireless Networks

You might be reading this on desktop or tablet, but whatever device you’re using, it’s connected to the internet. Connecting things to the internet yields many amazing benefits. We’ve all seen these benefits with our smartphones, laptops, and tablets, but this is true for everything else too. And yes, I do mean everything. The Internet of Things means taking all the things in the world and connecting them to the internet, including power generation and transmission, transportation infrastructure, automobiles and transport vehicles, ships, planes, trains, refrigerators, televisions, implanted health monitoring devices, brain implants, and on, and on. It’s only science fiction until it becomes science.

Communication Technology

Communication technology is the transfer of messages (information) among people and/or machines through the use of technology. This processing of information can help people make decisions, solve problems, and control machines.

Social Media

Social media refers to communications on the Internet (such as on websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Social networking and social media are overlapping concepts, but social networking is usually understood as users building communities among themselves while social media is more about using social networking sites and related platforms to build an audience.

Game Theory

Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that provides tools for analyzing situations in which parties, called players, make decisions that are interdependent. This interdependence causes each player to consider the other player’s possible decisions, or strategies, in formulating strategy. A solution to a game describes the optimal decisions of the players, who may have similar, opposed, or mixed interests, and the outcomes that may result from these decisions.

This section is relevant for both therapy clients and health & wellness coaching clients.

DSM 5 Diagnostic Interview

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) is a semistructured interview guide for making the major DSM-5 diagnoses. It is administered by a clinician or trained mental health professional who is familiar with the DSM-5 classification and diagnostic criteria. The interview subjects may be either psychiatric or general medical patients—or individuals who do not identify themselves as patients, such as participants in a community survey of mental illness or family members of psychiatric patients.

First MB, Williams JBW, Karg RS, Spitzer RL: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders, Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV). Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2016

The Satisfaction With Life Scale

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was first created by researchers Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin (1985) and published in an article in the Journal of Personality Assessment. The scale was developed as a way to assess an individual’s cognitive judgment of their satisfaction with their life as a whole. The SWLS is a very simple, short questionnaire made up of only five statements. Participants completing the questionnaire are asked to judge how they feel about each of the statements using a seven-point scoring system, with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 7 being “strongly agree.”

Below, I’ve outlined what these statements are:

  1. In most ways, my life is close to my ideal.
  2. The conditions of my life are excellent.
  3. I am satisfied with my life.
  4. So far, I have gotten the important things I want in life.
  5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.

Once you’ve assigned a score from 1 to 7 to each of the statements, you tally up your final score for an indication of how satisfied you are overall with life. As you can see, the SWLS won’t take up a lot of your time to complete! But it can be a really useful instrument in supporting you to reflect on your life, overall satisfaction, and in beginning to think about areas you might need to spend a bit more time exploring. You can download a full copy of the SWLS, including how to tally and score.

Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen and Sharon Griffin as noted in the 1985 article in the Journal of Personality Assessment.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

Anxiety Disorders Symptom Assessments

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1092-7.

Molina S, Borkovec TD (1994), The Penn State Worry Questionnaire: psychometric properties and associated characteristics. In: Worrying: Perspectives on Theory, Assessment and Treatment, Davey GCL, Tallis F, eds. New York: Wiley, pp265-283.

Shear K, Belnap BH, Mazumdar S et al. (in press), The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale (GADSS): a preliminary validation study. Depress Anxiety.

Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. (1993). Beck anxiety inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Hamilton, M. (1959). Hamilton anxiety rating scale. Brit J Med Psychol32, 50-55.

Depressive Disorders Symptom Assessments

 

Substance Use Disorders Assessments

 

Behavioral Addiction Assessments

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Assessments

 

Attention Deficit Disorder Symptom Assessments

 

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptom Assessments

 

Anger Management & Emotion Regulation Assessments

 

Self Esteem & Self Concept Assessments

 

Virtues & Character Strengths Assessments

 

Adverse Childhood Experiences Assessments

 

Trauma Screening Assessments

 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Assessments

 

Occupational & Career Assessments

 

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

 

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

 

Treatment & Homework Planner Series (Wiley & Sons Publishing)

 

Personality Type Assessments

 

Adult Attachment Style Assessments

 

For more severe and persistent Mental Health Disorders, Mental Illness, Opioid/Chemical Dependence, Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and/or Neurocognitive Disorders, please make sure you are under the care of a mental health and wellness team, Primary Care Physician, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Social Worker, and/or Agency Case Manager.

 

Physical Health & Wellness

Biology, Neuroscience, Anatomy & Physiology, Fitness, Movement, Activity

Nutritional Guidance & Planning (Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Water)

Calories, Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals, Water, Supplements, Drugs & Medication

Mental & Intellectual Functioning

Fluid Intelligence, Crystallized Intelligence, Ability, Critical Thinking, Capacity, Insight, Wisdom, Heuristic

Emotional Regulation & Emotional Intelligence

Emotion Mind, Primary Emotions, Secondary Emotions, Categories of Emotions, Regulation, Emotional Intelligence

Psychological 

Intrapsychic Phenomenon, and the connections of Thoughts, Emotions, Beliefs, Perceptions

Spiritual

Meaning & Purpose, Sense of Belonging, Community, Moral Discipline, Eightfold Path, Values, Virtues

Gender (Constructs, Roles & Norms, Identity vs Expression, Perceptions vs Affirmation)

Constructs, Roles, Norms, Identity, Preference, Expression, Perception, Affirmation

Sexual Health & Wellness (Intrinsic, Behavior, Preferences, Orientation)

Intrinsic Sense, Sexualized Behaviors, Tastes & Preferences, Fetishes, Orientation

Relationship Styles

Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Relationship Orientation, Preferences, Monogamy, Social Norms 

Shadow Psyche

Suppressed Experiences, Pain & Suffering, Trauma & Stress, Distorted/Negative Beliefs, Burdened Exiles

Leisure Activity

Hobbies, Relaxation, Meditation, Interests

Recreational Activity

Sports, Vehicles, Hunting/Fishing, Hiking, Biking, Swimming, Running, Overlaps with Physical Activity

Entertainment Activity

Movies, Music, Live Entertainment, Live Theater, Sports, Sporting Events, Television, Streaming Services