Indiana University

This site project, led by Indiana University in collaboration with the University of Utah, addresses a critical gap in psychotherapy training and research by developing, evaluating, and disseminating gratitude-based micro-interventions for individual and group psychotherapy. Although extensive research links gratitude to positive individual and relational outcomes, few resources exist to train therapists in integrating gratitude interventions into routine clinical practice, and little empirical work has examined their use within psychotherapy itself.

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The project aims to create practical gratitude micro-interventions that can be seamlessly incorporated into therapists’ existing treatment approaches. Two sets of training materials will be developed: one for a brief gratitude induction activity in individual therapy and another for facilitating gratitude social processes in group therapy. These materials will include training manuals and video vignettes demonstrating core microskills such as psychoeducation, scaffolding, deepening, affirmative responding, gratitude expression, and, in group contexts, linking group members’ experiences. All materials will be made freely available to the field.

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Across four studies, the project will rigorously evaluate both clinical and training outcomes. Studies 1 and 2 will test the efficacy of gratitude micro-interventions in individual psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral group therapy, respectively. These randomized controlled trials will be conducted at two training clinics: the Counseling and Wellness Center at Indiana University Bloomington and the Utah Community Mental Health Clinic at the University of Utah. Outcomes include therapeutic and group alliance, gratitude, forgiveness, humility, flourishing, and depression.  Studies 3 and 4 will evaluate the effectiveness of online training programs for practicing therapists nationwide, examining skill acquisition and real-world uptake of gratitude micro-interventions. Together, this project will yield scalable training resource and empirical evidence for gratitude-based interventions in psychotherapy, advancing both clinical training and the science of virtue-based psychotherapy.