Ryan M. Niemiec Psy.D.

Ryan M. Niemiec, Psy.D., is a leading figure in the education, research, and practice of character strengths and in positive psychology/well-being. He's an award-winning psychologist, bestselling author, and international workshop leader.

• Education Director of VIA Institute on Character, a global, nonprofit organization in Cincinnati, Ohio that educates individuals about the science and practice of character strengths. VIA is a leading organization in positive psychology and the worldwide leader on the science and practice of character strengths.
• Ryan is author of the 2019 consumer-oriented books The Power of Character Strengths (with Robert McGrath), which was a #1 new release on Amazon, and The Strengths-Based Workbook for Stress Relief.
• He's author of other books that are leaders in their respective fields such as Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners; Mindfulness and Character Strengths; Positive Psychology at the Movies (2nd edition); and Movies and Mental Illness (4th edition, with Danny Wedding).
• Ryan has been an annual instructor at the University of Pennsylvania from 2010 to present and adjunct professor at Xavier University.
• Ryan has given over 700 presentations across the globe. In 2015, he presented a national workshop tour on Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) across Australia, at universities in Iceland and Spain, a keynote address for the New Zealand Association of Positive Psychology, and the Rex J. Lipman Fellow address at St. Peter’s College in Adelaide. In more recent years, he's delivered a keynote for a Harvard coaching conference, keynotes for the European Positive Psychology Conference and Canadian Positive Psychology Conference, and talks for various universities including Columbia University.
• Ryan is the creator of Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP), an evidence-based 8-week program that integrates the best practices of mindfulness and character strengths. MBSP is being used by practitioners across the globe.
• Ryan has had the privilege of helping people in a variety of settings, including a weight management program, pain center, psychology & religion program, correctional facility, homeless shelter, neuropsychology clinic, general outpatient clinic, psychiatric hospital, rural clinic, and a primary care clinic.
• Ryan has penned over 80 scholarly or peer-reviewed articles.
• Ryan received a “distinguished early career award” from the American Psychological Association in 2011, and was granted Fellow status of the International Positive Psychology Association in 2017.