Dr Jennifer Guttman - Happiness or satisfaction?

Keywords

Resilience - Satisfaction - Happiness - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Beyond Happiness

Dr Jennifer Guttman received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Long Island University and began her career working at a family homeless shelter in New York. When she found that traditional protocols made it difficult for people to access her services, she fought to ensure that every resident could meet with her as often as they needed. She then started lecturing and opened a private practice where her approach fuses traditional cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques with her own core methods, which have been developed over thirty-plus years of personal interaction with her clients.

Jennifer has just published a book called "Beyond Happiness: The Six Secrets of Lifetime Satisfaction." In it she differentiates between happiness and satisfaction, stating that happiness is fleeting and dependent on external factors, while satisfaction is within one's control and achievable through certain techniques. She believes that resilience can be found within satisfaction as it includes confidence, self-reliance, and self-respect and that happiness can be a choice to some extent.

Main topics

• The concept of resilience
• Why we should aim for long-term life satisfaction rather than constant happiness
• The importance of not making assumptions and waiting for concrete evidence before acting
• Differences in communication styles between genders
• The impact of people-pleasing behaviours on relationships.
• Facing fears as a means of personal growth and building confidence.
• The six techniques for sustainable life satisfaction

Timestamps

1.  Introductions: 00:02 - 00:51

2. Background and Expertise: 00.52 - 03:25

3. Agreement and Challenging Questions: 03.26 - 04:28

4. Moving Beyond Happiness to Satisfaction: 04.29 - 07:28

5. Defining Sustainable Life Satisfaction: 07.29 - 12:51

6. Exploring the Six Factors of Satisfaction: 12.52 - 14:14

7. Communication and Persuasion: 14.15 - 17:19

8. Communication Styles and Preferences: 17.20 – 20.56

9. Overcoming Avoidance and Focusing: 20.57 -22:31

10. Conclusion and Book Availability: 22.32 - 28.13

Action items 

• Jennifer's book is Beyond Happiness: The Six Secrets of Lifetime Satisfaction
• For more information about Jennifer, tips, blogs, and access to her social media channels and newsletter visit https://www.guttmanpsychology.com/