Cultivating Positive Emotion in Psychotherapy: Practices to Reduce Psychopathology and Build Wellbeing
March 20, 2026 | 10:00am-1:00pm PST
w/ Lucas S. LaFreniere, Ph.D.
About The Workshop
Savoring is the purposeful enjoyment of positive emotion. Its many practices involves generating, amplifying, and sustaining pleasant emotions from enjoyable experiences. Those with anxiety disorders and depression not only have deficits in positive emotion and reward response (e.g., LaFreniere & Newman, 2019), but also tend to dampen pre-existing positive emotions (e.g., Eisner et al., 2009). Yet active engagement with positive emotion may both build well-being and reduce psychopathology in these populations. Recently, savoring practices have shown significant clinical benefits when compared to active treatment controls in both randomized controlled trials (RCTs; e.g., Craske et al., 2023; LaFreniere & Newman, 2023) and single-session experiments (e.g., Rosen & LaFreniere, 2023). Savoring practices have significantly reduced pre-existing worry, anxiety, depression symptoms, “kill-joy thinking,” and avoidance of negative emotional shifts in clinical samples. They have also increased positive emotion, optimism, and prioritization of positive activities and goals (LaFreniere & Newman, 2023b; 2024). These well-being outcomes have a host of benefits across life (Fredrickson, 2013). Fortunately, savoring is a skill that can be trained and practiced with patients through guided exercises (LaFreniere, 2023a; 2023b; 2024; Rosen & LaFreniere, 2023). These practices can feasibly complement existing behavioral techniques, weakening symptoms while strengthening joy.
In this 3-hour workshop, attendees will develop skills for the clinical use of intentional engagement with positive emotions. They will first learn about the theoretical foundations, mechanisms, and empirical support of positive emotion practices. The majority of the workshop will then focus on active training in a variety of savoring and other practices, facilitative tools, and tips for delivery. Attendees will participate in a range of positive emotion exercises themselves, as well as accompanying discussion. Common challenges in clinical savoring work will be discussed. At the end of the session, attendees will be provided with additional resources for learning about and delivering savoring treatments.
Meet Your Instructor
Lucas S. LaFreniere, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Skidmore College
Dr. LaFreniere is lead investigator of the Technological Research on Enjoyment and Anxiety Treatment (TREAT) laboratory and an assistant professor at Skidmore College. He specializes in developing and researching efficient interventions for worry, anxiety, and comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders. His research aims to design treatments targeting understudied processes of psychopathology, test their efficacy, and examine their mechanisms. Along with receiving Behaviour Research and Therapy’s Early Investigator Award and the sole annual Distinguished Dissertation in Clinical Psychology Award from APA, he has published in top tier outlets like Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. His basic research has revealed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) deficits in learning the probabilities of future outcomes, reinforcement response under uncertainty, and extended engagement with positive emotions. In his applied research, he has developed and tested several efficient interventions for correcting these problems, including savoring, personalized worry tracking, and values-based smartphone use management. His recent SkillJoy program led clients with GAD to learn and practice extended savoring of positive experiences, mindful appreciation of good aspects of the present moment, and exposure to being “off guard." He continues to study the application of savoring practices as a transdiagnostic intervention for comorbid GAD and depression.
AUDIENCE
The workshop will primarily be directed toward practicing treatment providers of all education levels and settings. Psychologically-informed therapy-adjacent staff and clients may also benefit.
INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL: Introductory-Intermediate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe the definition and mechanisms of savoring positive emotions and other related practices in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
- Teach the basic principles and active procedures of savoring to clients (provide psychoeducation and training in savoring).
- Lead clients in the practice of at least 3 specific savoring exercises/techniques.
REGISTRATION
Registration is online. Presentations will be recorded and sent to anyone who registers for the event.
SCHOLARSHIPS
We reserve a number of partial scholarships for potential attendees who could not otherwise afford to come. We give particular priority given to those who would add diverse and under represented voices to our field. To submit an application, please click here.
CE CREDITS
Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research & Training Center is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Portland Psychotherapy, Clinic, Research & Training Center maintains responsibility for all programs and content.
This workshop grants 3 CE credits for therapists with the purchase of Professionals with CE Certificate ticket and live attendance of the entire workshop. Credit will not be given for only watching the recording.
REFUNDS/CANCELLATIONS: We charge a $15 administration fee for cancellations made by participants more than two weeks before the training event. For cancellations within two weeks of the training event, we will refund 50% of the tuition. Alternately, participants may elect to apply 100% of their tuition to a future training event. No refunds will be given after training events.
SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS: Please contact us if you need accommodations to enable you to fully participate in the workshop. We will work with you and do our best to find a way to ensure your participation.
