Happiness Space
Overview
This discussion board prompt asks students to share a photo of something positive that is happening in their lives. It was created for use in a fully online human services course during the pandemic to help build community and focus on positive things that were happening during such a difficult time.
Happiness Space
I used this idea in my fully online human services courses during the pandemic. I offered this both as an extra credit option and as a course requirement (depending on the course). I received positive feedback from students and it helped to build the online community during such a difficult time.
We have yet to fully know the impact that the current pandemic will have on our mental health, but we know that it will be significant to our clients, family, friends, and ourselves. As human services professionals, it is our ethical responsibility to care for ourselves, so we can best support our clients. As a way to help us focus on things that bring us happiness, an important component of positive psychology, throughout the semester you will post photos of things that make you happy and explain as much or as little as you want to. You will post a total of five photos over the semester, but you can post more if you like. I encourage you to look at your peers' posts and comment if you like. During this difficult time, it is important to share positive experiences with others.