title: Gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention.
abstract: Gratitude practice can be a catalyzing and relational healing force, often untapped in clinical practice. In this article, we provide an overview of current thinking about gratitude's defining and beneficial properties, followed by a brief review of the research on mental health outcomes that result from gratitude practice. Following an analysis of our case study of the use of gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention, we present various self-strategies and techniques for consciously choosing and cultivating gratitude. We conclude by describing ways in which gratitude might be capitalized upon for beneficial outcomes in therapeutic settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. raemmons@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Emmons
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D013811:Psychotherapeutic Processes; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012919:Social Behavior; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology
keywords: goodness; gratitude; healing; redemptive; transformation