Positive Psychology in the Middle East/North Africa: Research, Policy, and Practise

Dr. Louise Lambert, PhD, teaches university-level courses in introduction to psychology, positive psychology in the workplace, happiness and wellbeing, ethical reasoning, workplace psychology and business ethics. She is a Canadian Registered Psychologist with almost 20 years of counselling practise in the non-profit, education, mental health and primary healthcare sectors, as well as the Editor-in-Chief and founder of the Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to uncovering excellence in the Middle East region. A published researcher in the field of happiness, she also works to teach the skills of wellbeing and character to community individuals, university and high school students, as well as organizations. She is currently working with the Emirates Center for Happiness Research at the United Arab Emirates University.

Dr. Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi, PhD, has degrees in Communications, Education, and Psychology. She has worked as an international educator for almost 20 years focusing on language development and cultural studies with an emphasis on Muslim populations. Her articles have appeared in a number of professional journals including the Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, Ethnicities and The Journal of International Women’s Studies. She is the author of The Colour of Mehndi, a novel that explores acculturation, family values and mental illness within the Pakistani-American community and the lead editor of Mirror on the Veil: a Collection of Personal Narratives on Hijab and Veiling.