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. He is the Education Director of VIA Institute on Character, a global, nonprofit organization in Cincinnati that educates individuals about the science and practice of character strengths. He is also the author of books including The Power of Character Strengths (with Robert McGrath) and The Strengths-Based Workbook for Stress Relief, as well 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).

Niemiec has been an annual instructor at the University of Pennsylvania from 2010 to present and adjunct professor at Xavier University. He 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. He's also 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.

Niemiec 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. He has helped people in a variety of settings, including a weight-management program, pain center, psychology and religion program, correctional facility, homeless shelter, neuropsychology clinic, general outpatient clinic, psychiatric hospital, rural clinic, and a primary care clinic.

Niemiec has penned over 80 scholarly or peer-reviewed articles and received a “distinguished early career award” from the American Psychological Association in 2011. He was granted Fellow status of the International Positive Psychology Association in 2017.