The Hope Leadership Program
Program Description:
Transform Lives, Inspire Hope, Lead with Purpose
Are you ready to become the leader others turn to in times of uncertainty? Do you want to master evidence-based techniques that genuinely transform lives? Are you seeking to integrate your professional skills with deeper spiritual wisdom? Do you feel called to be someone who doesn't just solve problems, but ignites hope and possibility in others?
If you answered yes, then discover the Hope Leadership Program at Teachers College – a transformative journey that will revolutionize how you understand and cultivate human potential. This intensive three-part program fuses cutting-edge positive psychology with powerful psychodramatic techniques and profound spiritual wisdom to create leaders who don't just manage – they inspire authentic flourishing.
What Makes This Program Extraordinary:
- Master the Science of Well-Being: Dive deep into evidence-based psychological principles that unlock human resilience and joy
- Harness Dynamic Role-Playing Techniques: Learn psychodramatic methods that create breakthrough moments in clinical, educational, and spiritual settings
- Cultivate Character Strengths: Build an unshakeable foundation of virtues that drive both personal excellence and meaningful impact
- Ignite Hope: Develop specialized strategies to kindle hope and spiritual growth in yourself and others
Perfect for: Counselors, educators, coaches, spiritual leaders, and anyone passionate about empowering human potential through an integrated mind-body-spirit approach.
Step into your role as a Hope Leader – where psychological insight meets spiritual wisdom, and where your leadership becomes a catalyst for transformation in every life you touch.
Dates & Registration
Dates:
- Microcourse 1: November 1 - 2, 2025
- Microcourse 2: January 17 - 18, 2026
- Microcourse 3: April 18 - 19, 2026
Times: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Format: In-person
Location: Teachers College, Columbia University
Price: $1,895
This microcredential is a three-part program. To learn more about the the individual microcourses, please click on the links below:
| Microcredential | The Hope Leadership Program | November 1, 2025 - April 19, 2026 |
| Microcourse 1 | Positive Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, and Role-playing | November 1 - 2, 2025 |
| Microcourse 2 | Psychodramatic Approaches to Self-Regulation and Exploration | January 17 - 18, 2026 |
| Microcourse 3 | Fostering Hope and Spiritual Development | April 18 - 19, 2026 |
For more information, questions or to register: Email tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu
Faculty
Dr. Dan Tomasulo
Academic Director— Spirituality Mind Body Institute Coordinator / Core Faculty SMB MA program
Dan Tomasulo, Ph.D., TEP, MFA, MAPP is a licensed psychologist, speaker, author of several books on positive psychology and mental health, and the Academic Director and core faculty at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University. He speaks about alleviating depression with positive psychology and hope worldwide and is a board-certified Teacher, Educator, and Practitioner of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy.Dr. Tomasulo holds a PhD in psychology, an MFA in writing, and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Review Editor for Frontiers in Psychology special section, Positive Psychology, and the Journal of Positive Psychology.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify and define core concepts of positive psychology, including happiness, well-being, and flourishing.
- Understand the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues and its empirical basis.
- Determine their own signature strengths and explore ways to apply them in daily life.
- Differentiate between optimal use, underuse, and overuse of character strengths and their impact on well-being and psychological symptoms.
- Learn and practice evidence-based positive interventions such as the Three Good Things, Gratitude Visit, Best Possible Self, and Savoring, for enhancing well-being and managing depressive symptoms.
- Recognize the role of resource priming in activating strengths for therapeutic progress.
Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the historical context and foundational principles of psychodrama as a therapeutic modality.
- Identify and describe the five instruments of psychodrama (protagonist, director, auxiliary, audience, stage) and the three phases of a psychodrama session (warm-up, action, sharing).
- Practice and apply core psychodramatic/ role playing techniques such as role-play/enactment, role reversal, doubling, and empty chair for exploring inner conflicts, interpersonal relationships, and future possibilities.
- Understand how psychodramatic techniques enhance spontaneity, creativity, and emotional self-regulation.
- Discuss the application and adaptation of psychodrama in clinical and educational settings, including its role in trauma therapy (e.g., Therapeutic Spiral Model, Relational Trauma Repair) and group work, and experiential education.
- Recognize the therapeutic factors activated through psychodrama, such as universality, altruism, and instillation of hope.
Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Define hope within positive psychology, distinguishing it from optimism and faith.
- Understand the Gallup framework of followers' needs (hope, trust, compassion, stability) and hope's role as a primary need.
- Learn and apply Hope Breath, a modified Tonglen meditation for emotional self-regulation and hope cultivation.
- Utilize Future Best Self (FBS) visualization and writing as an intervention to foster hope and future orientation.
- Explore the synergistic relationship between spirituality and character strengths for enhancing well-being and achieving wholeness.
- Identify and integrate spiritual practices with character strength interventions (e.g., strengths-spotting, spiritual role models) to deepen personal and collective peace.
- Use transformational techniques from various spiritual practices to upregulate positive emotions while downregulating negative.
Who Should Attend
Counselors, educators, coaches, spiritual leaders, and anyone passionate about empowering human potential through an integrated mind-body-spirit approach.
Upon Completion
Participants who successfully complete this program will earn a verified Certificate of Participation and an official Digital Badge—valuable credentials that showcase your commitment to professional growth and can be shared on LinkedIn or digital portfolios. View our sample program badge and certificate below.
In addition, NYS certified Psychologists and Mental Health Counselors will be eligible to receive NYSED CEUs for Psychology or Mental Health Counseling upon successful completion of this program.
Important Notice: This is a non-credit program. Completion does not provide academic credit toward any degree program at Teachers College or other institutions. No transcript credit will be awarded.