Happy Nation is based on two basic ideas

  1. Focussing on what makes us happy can bring us to greater heights of joy and fulfilment than focussing solely on the problems we wish to solve. This is the philosophy inherent in Positive Psychology.
  2. Happiness, like any other emotional state, is not an isolated phenomenon – it affects, and is affected by, the people around us. To reach fulfilment we must work towards enhancing the happiness of all, using love, compassion and gratitude. This social happiness philosophy is consistent with the principles of Deep Ecology.

Stephanie Hills has thirty years’ experience working with people in distress, both as a social worker and a counsellor.

A large part of her work has comprised using narrative and art therapy to help people move on from depression. While still helping people facing difficulties, Stephanie’s work has broadened to include the promotion and enhancement of individual and social happiness.

Using the principles of Positive Psychology and Deep Ecology, she assists individuals and groups to improve their functioning in various life spheres, taking into account the social, cultural, economic and environmental context of people’s lives.

  • Talking to Santa

    A little girl climbed onto the seat next to Santa. He smiled and asked her the usual question, ‘What would you like for Christmas?’ The little girl looked at him open mouthed and horrified for a moment.‘Didn’t you get my email?’ she gasped.

  • Happiness and Social Connection

    If you believe the ads, happiness is to be found in being rich, ‘successful’, good-looking and the envy of your friends. Ads appeal to our inborn desire for something better than the status quo; an instinct that evolutionary psychologists would say has prompted human civilisation to improve and evolve. In reality, of course, those things […]

  • The Power of We: Awakening in the Relational Field

    Audiobook by Thomas Hübl. Thomas Hübl meditated in retreat for many years, gaining deep insights, before returning to mainstream society and founding the annual Collective Trauma Summit and the Pocket Project. This audiobook is a series of gently paced teachings, spoken by Hübl himself in an unrehearsed, personally inviting manner. The focus is on using […]

  • The biggest turkey

    Just before Christmas, a lady went shopping for a turkey. She was rummaging around the frozen bird display looking for a turkey just the *right* size. She’d pick up one, weigh it in her hands and put it down, trying more than a few birds. She finally saw a stockboy coming down the aisle. Holding […]

  • What is Tolerance and How Do We Achieve it?

    The International Day for Tolerance is observed this week, although the devastating conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere show that we have a long way to go before there is much to celebrate. From our relative safety and distance, we can see international conflicts with detached clarity; naming the atrocities as unacceptable without having to […]

Stephanie Hills

Promoting Individual and Social Happiness

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