What I do?
Meet Dr. Ozge Kantas
For the last 13 years, I have been counseling for sustainable well-being, building psychosocial ecosystems for fully functioning, teaching and communicating evidence-based knowledge for growth and development, and implementing compassionate wisdom for integration in various life domains.
Where & with whom I do?
I love conducting researches about human motivation that goes beyond lab settings, leading groups and working with teams, implementing interventions, teaching and communicating about psychological science, and giving consultancy to organizations and individuals at NGOs, schools, universities, start-ups, projects, policymakers, societies, institutions, and companies.
How I do?
Basically, my research and interventions are based on self and group processes where I focus on basic psychological needs and autonomous human motivation in various life domains. Also, I am a psychodramatist, which a form of group therapy with a humanistic approach to unleash human potential with action methods of spontaneity and creativity. Combining my social and clinical background in applied settings for meaningful growth and development, I help people to understand ''why they do what they do''. Therefore, I enable them to implement goal-oriented strategies and manage themselves according to their self-determined aspirations for a fully functioning human potential by bringing out their best.
When I am helpful?
I focus on compassionate and authentic self processes with both community integration and personal individuation perspective. I help groups, individuals, organizations, and families among different life domains such as mental health, well-being at workplace, adult training, market research, needs assessment, optimal growth, parenting and reparenting, talent management, group dynamics, and development in a diversity-sensitive manner. My work values are playing, improving, integrating, supporting, and motivating.
My Philosophy
My overall philosophy values an action-oriented use of psychology, specifically the motivation science of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), with the overarching aim of elevating human experience and wellbeing on a multitude of levels: individual, organizational, and societal. As a social and personality psychologist, I seamlessly blend my teaching, research, and service with the aspects I focused on so far and that I want to focus on further around this passion.
Understanding, exploring, and teaching 'Why do people do what they do?’ and ‘What do people need to flourish in social contexts?’ lie at the heart of my theory of origin (SDT) that I utilize in all domains of human life. According to this framework of SDT, all people have three universal basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness regardless of their culture or individual differences, and are essential for fostering motivation and well-being. Therefore, in every task I do, I ensure I support my clients, my students, and my colleagues in terms of their:
-
autonomy by creating spaces where they can feel they have choice and control, since people desire a sense of volition and ownership over their actions and this can lead to greater engagement and intrinsic motivation.
-
competence by facilitating their feelings of mastery to feel adept and capable, promoting their self-worth and confidence, since everyone wants to feel effective in their interactions with the world around them.
-
relatedness by bolstering connection and belongingness, since as social beings, individuals feel understood and valued when we foster meaningful relationships and community ties.