Our Mission at PPIA

My name is Sonja Käferböck, I live in Vienna, and I'm managing the PPIA blog and website.

I was first introduced to Positive Psychology (PP) during my exchange semester at the University of Melbourne in 2017, where I found myself in two classes that focused on the application of PP in educational and organizational contexts.

Although I had never heard of PP, Positive Education (PE), or Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) before, I was instantly hooked and fascinated by all it had to offer. Looking back, I can now say that these two PP courses turned my personal and professional life upside down and have completely changed my way of living. I have personally experienced the astounding effects of PP interventions in my own life and couldn’t be more grateful.

Since then, I've made it my mission to spread the word about the science of happiness, support others on their path to flourishing, and help people bring out the best in themselves and their communities.

After starting to read every PP book I could get my hands on (which I haven’t stopped since), I also completely changed the topic of my diploma thesis (for my teaching degree at the University of Vienna) and eventually wrote about the compatibility of PP with the Austrian school context. If you're interested, you can find the journal article to my thesis here.

Then, after finishing my degree in June 2018, I started teaching at a high school in Vienna, where I was able to implement PP interventions into my English and Psychology/Philosophy classes, both implicitly and explicitly. That's also when I started my second Master's Degree in Ethics, where I also focused on the Ethics of Happiness and wrote a thesis on the promotion of wellbeing in the classroom (which was later published as a book called "Kann Schule glücklich machen?" = "Can schools promote happiness?").

From September 2019 until January 2020 I was enrolled in a PP educational programme at Vienna International Positive Psychology School (VIPPS) and am now an EUPPA Certified Practitioner and Trainer of Positive Psychology.

In the course of this programme, I also started my own blog with the aim to spread knowledge about the science of wellbeing and thereby support people in living happier and more fulfilling lives. 

Since 2022, I'm also offering workshops, webinars, online courses, and 1:1 sessions both online and offline, as well as in English and German - all with the aim to empower others to take responsibility for their wellbeing and create a life they LOVE. 

If my story resonated with you, you'd like to start working with me, or simply want to have a chat, always feel more than welcome to shoot me an email or a DM on Instagram (@thequarterlifearena). I love connecting with like-minded souls all over the world!

Can't wait to hear from you!🌻

Lots of love,

Sonja