In early summer 2022, counsellors and trainers tested new interventions based on positive psychology for work with low-skilled adults as part of the EU project OVERCOME. After the great success of the pilot course with counselling professionals from social services, learning rooms and professional integration, the programme is heading to a second round in Switzerland.
The goal of the OVERCOME project is to increase the self-efficacy and self-confidence of people who find themselves in difficult situations, for example due to long-term unemployment or limited labour market opportunities. The attitude of the counsellors plays a key role in this.
Liliane Blurtschi, a Swiss expert in positive psychology, positive leadership and mental training, has a great deal of experience in this field. She designed and led the pilot course in collaboration with Christine Bärlocher, OVERCOME project manager at SVEB Switzerland. For this, she selected numerous exercises, thought-provoking impulses and interventions from the OVERCOME project that can be easily used in everyday working life. She then supplemented these with existing resources already used in Switzerland. She provided theoretical backgrounds for each area of focus.
Challenge: Transfer to everyday life
Positive energy could be felt throughout the two workshop days on 18 May and 15 June. However, it is not so easy for people to internalise the principles of positive interventions in themselves. But with some practice, the effect quickly becomes apparent.
Liliane Blurtschi explained how transfer succeeds in daily work with clients. For example, positive emotions can be aroused through targeted discussions or clients can be empowered to find their own strengths and goals. This process requires time, training and also some creativity – and, not least, a gradual change of thinking by the institutions towards positive empowerment.
Pilot courses in five partner countries
Alongside the course in Switzerland, the project partners successfully ran OVERCOME pilot courses in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Ireland. They relied more on the project’s e-learning platform, which offers comprehensive online courses for the target group of counsellors and low-skilled adults. The platform is available in English, Greek and Portuguese.
The OVERCOME project is financially supported by Movetia, the National Agency for Exchange and Mobility. Movetia promotes exchange, mobility and cooperation within the fields of education, training and youth work – in Switzerland, Europe and worldwide: www.movetia.ch.