Greenhouse gases from human activities are causing climate change, creating risks for people around the globe. Behaviors involving transportation, diet, energy use, and purchasing drive greenhouse gas emissions, but are also related to health and well-being, providing opportunity for co-benefits. Replacing shorter automobile trips with walking or cycling, or eating plants rather than animals, for example, may increase personal health, while also reducing environmental impact. Mindfulness-based practices have been shown to enhance a variety of health outcomes, but have not been adapted towards environmental purposes. We designed the Mindful Climate Action (MCA) curriculum to help people improve their health while simultaneously lowering their carbon footprints. Combining mindfulness-based practices with the Stages of Change theory, the MCA program aims to: (1) improve personal health and well-being; (2) decrease energy use; (3) reduce automobile use; (4) increase active transport; (5) shift diet towards plant-based foods; and (6) reduce unnecessary purchasing. Mindfulness practices will foster attentional awareness, openness, and response flexibility, supporting positive behavior change. We plan to test MCA in a randomized controlled trial, with rigorous assessment of targeted outcomes. Our long-term goal is to refine and adapt the MCA program to a variety of audiences, in order to enhance public health and environmental sustainability.

Citation: Yates, J. (2014). Synchronous online CPD: empirical support for the value of webinars in career settings. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 42(3), pp. 245-260. doi: 10.1080/03069885.2014 This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent AbstractThe career profession in England is facing unprecedented challenges. Initiatives to improve service delivery whilst keeping costs low are attractive and online training holds the promise of high impact at low cost. The present study employs a qualitative methodology to evaluate a series of online "webinars" conducted with fifteen careers advisers. Results showed that the technology itself could impede learning, and participants missed out on the peer to peer interaction that takes place in a "bricks and mortar" setting but that overall participants found that access to relevant, good quality training from the convenience of their workplace more than compensated for the challenges. The paper offers conceptual support for the viability of online learning through the theory of equivalency, andragogy and transactional distance theory, and makes recommendations for practice.

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractChanges in the labour market over the last decades have led to an increase in the number of career and job changes individuals are likely to face in their working lives. Previous literature indicates that a high level of confidence can help individuals to make career changes. This research involved five participants who took part in a coaching programme prior to changing their careers. The programme consisted of four positive psychology interventions based on a proposal of core confidence as a higher order construct composed of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis showed that participants perceived their career confidence before the programme as low, incorporating negative affect and self-doubt. After the programme participants demonstrated increased career engagement, self-awareness and a positive and optimistic outlook. The analysis revealed that change was effected through the development of hope, change in cognitive processes and coaching as a catalyst. Implications for the definition of career confidence, and for positive psychology and career coaching practice are considered.Key words: career confidence; career change; self-efficacy; hope; optimism; resilience. Practice PointsThis article is aimed at coaches who work with clients who are considering making changes within their careers.The article puts forward a four stage approach to coaching drawn from positive psychology and explicitly aimed at increasing clients' career confidence. The qualitative analysis of the data indicates that the coaching approach has a considerable impact on clients' levels of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. The findings also explore the construct of career confidence and provide an in depth understanding of the participants' experience of career confidence.The paper provides support for the use of positive psychology interventions in a career coaching context providing: a model for practice  a contribution to our understanding of the construct of career confidence  some evidence of a coaching model which leads to enhance client confidence and motivation 3

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent AbstractEmpirical evidence attests the impact that career image has on objective career success, yet little is known of how career practitioners conceptualise and operationalise this information. This article presents the quantitative findings of an online survey of career practitioners (n=399, 74% female, 89% white, 75% from the UK) exploring their attitudes and practices towards issues of appearance and attractiveness. Career practitioners who participated in this survey acknowledged that beauty, self-presentation and interpersonal skills influence career success, and 96% of them considered conversations about career image as part of their professional remit. The career practitioners felt relatively comfortable and well informed in their discussions in this arena, but would welcome further guidance and training to inform their practice. Ethical and practical implications for the profession are considered.