Positive mental health in psychotherapy: a qualitative study from psychotherapists’ perspectives

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence in the literature on the use of positive mental health (PMH) interventions among clinical samples. This qualitative study aims to explore the definitions of PMH from psychotherapists’ perspectives, and to examine views and attitudes related to the construct. METHODS: Focus group discussions were conducted with psychotherapists at a tertiary psychiatric institute. Focus group sessions were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. RESULTS: Five themes related to psychotherapists’ definition of PMH were identified: (1) acceptance; (2) normal functioning and thriving in life; (3) resilience; (4) positive overall evaluation of life; (5) absence of negative emotions and presence of positive emotion states. Themes related to views and attitudes towards PMH were: (1) novel and valuable for psychotherapy; (2) reservations with terminology; (3) factors influencing PMH. CONCLUSION: PMH in psychotherapy is a multidimensional concept that means more than symptom management and distress reduction in clients. There is potential value for its application in psychotherapy practice, though some concerns need to be addressed before it can be well integrated. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-00816-6.