Happiness @ Work
Happiness @ Work has a double meaning. It is about being happier while at work and also means the process of becoming happier. Only 13% of Canadians report that they feel engaged at work and 50% report being unhappy in their jobs. This needs to change since we spend approximately 90,000 hours at work during our lifetime! Happiness isn’t just about feeling good every moment of the day. That is unrealistic! But we do need to feel that our work matters, we are valued and supported, and that we work with good people.
Researchers have been studying happiness in the workplace for more than 20 years. Studies show that happiness increases every positive business outcome. For example, people who look forward to Mondays are more productive and creative, take fewer sick days and experience less burn-out. They are happy at work because they have found a way to have meaning and purpose, are highly engaged and have good relationships with their colleagues.
The science of positive psychology or human flourishing uses many simple (and free!) evidence-based interventions that can help people feel more engaged at work, discover their meaning and purpose, develop better working relationships which results in increased well-being.
I am excited to combine my 23 years' of experience as an adult educator, trainer and writer with my studies in positive psychology and positive education to help people learn and apply interventions to increase their happiness. I have a soft spot for working with educators. My own personal experience with professional burn-out in 2015 led me to reflect on my own self-care and adopt positive psychology interventions which I now share with educators.
My Services
Why Teachers Need to Care about Self-Care Workshop
I left classroom teaching due to professional burn-out in 2015 due to a lack of self-care. Teachers need to put themselves first and adopt self-care strategies to reduce stress, build resilience, promote physical health and increase their well-being. Self-care is not an indulgent but necessary in this profession.
Self-Care Workshops for Women
Self-care is more than just a mani-pedi! It is a conscious decision to care about our own well-being so we are better equipped to take care of others. This workshop is highly interactive and practical.
G.R.O.W. for Well-being
G.R.O.W. for Well-being presentations can be designed for students of all ages. Students learn how gratitude, resilience, optimism and willpower can be cultivated to help them get through challenges.
Character Strengths
Our 24 character strengths (like leadership, teamwork, curiosity, love of learning, zest, judgement, kindness, humour to name a few) make us unique just like finger prints. When we use our character strengths, we feel more engaged and have a better understanding of others and feel happier. Workshops have been given at The YWCA and Career Development Centre, City of Hamilton.
TESL Ontario Webinar
This webinar defines self-care and discusses its importance for all educators; provides specific strategies and interventions for self-care; and discusses how to best adapt strategies for self-care at an individual and organizational level
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"Patrice is flexible and a pleasure to work with. She has a good working knowledge of Growth Mindset and knows how to get people thinking about it and applying it in their work."
Anne Marie Madziak
Coordinator and Library Consultant, Southern Ontario Library Service, Canada
"The Characters Strengths workshop provided by Patrice to business program participants covered a lot of information, delivered in concise chunks that was easy to absorb. The structure was clear, logical and effective. Patrice put a lot of thought and expertise into designing it. The main benefits for the participants came from doing the character strengths survey, receiving feedback and interacting with Patrice and other participants. The training helped the business program participants to understand better their strengths and how these are related with their business vision. This format raised the participants’ confidence to use their strengths in implementing their entrepreneurial vision in developing their business. "
Victoria Bularda
Business Coach, YWCA Hamilton
"Patrice gave an outstanding presentation on workplace happiness at the Rotary Club of Stoney Creek. It was informative and she was very engaging with the audience. I would love the opportunity to hear Patrice speak again and would recommend others attend her events. Thanks Patrice for a great morning! "
Carrie Deon
Rotary Club Member
"I would like to thank you for your inspiring speech at the North York TESL Conference. I was picturing myself listening to your journey; going through separation and divorce, dealing with a child’s health issues while trying hard to support our students both in language proficiency and their emotional crises. It was a pleasure to meet you. "
Farnaz Saghafi
ESL/LINC Instructor
"Very warm and engaging presenter. Excellent, excellent!" "Patrice had a really matter of fact, practical message for teachers, without too much "new age" stuff. It was a perfect way to end the conference for me!" "Lots of good take away messages from this session". Very, very important topic! It's good to be aware of this at the beginning of my career, so I can help prevent burnout/exhaustion in myself. Amazing and very informative session!" It was a great presentation. The instructor used relevant examples. It was very helpful to hear her story. Very often schools do not provide adequate resources for self-care." "
Workshop Participants
TESL Ontario Conference 2018
Want to know what your strengths are? Take the FREE VIA Character Strengths Survey
We possess all 24 character strengths (like honesty, humour, kindness, hope, love, leadership) in different degrees, giving each of us a unique character profile just like fingerprints! Using our character strengths can increase our overall well-being. It takes just 15 minutes to learn about your strengths. My top strengths are 1) Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence 2) Creativity 3) Curiosity 4) Gratitude 5) Love of Learning
