But latest research-backed neuroscientific findings tell a different story. Gratitude is not forced positivity. It is a valuable therapeutic tool for shaping neuroplasticity, cognitive restructuring, and deep psychological change. It is an intervention, not just an attitude—and one that has profound implications for trauma recovery, depression, relational wounds, and emotional resilience.

In this workshop, Dr Jonah Paquette will take us beyond simplistic gratitude exercises and into the clinical application of gratitude as a sophisticated therapeutic intervention. Drawing on affective neuroscience, attachment theory, and cognitive psychology, this session will explore why and how gratitude alters emotional and relational dynamics—and how it can be tailored to clients with significant psychological distress, attachment wounds, and resistance to positive affect.

For practitioners who have ever had a client say, ‘I really don’t have much to be grateful for’ – this training will offer the theoretical depth, research foundation, and clinical skillset to respond in a way that is both validating and transformative.

The Clinical Dilemma: When the Good Feels Impossible
Sarah (not her real name) was 42 when she walked into therapy, having spent decades cycling through depressive episodes, unfulfilling relationships, and chronic self-criticism. Beneath her outward composure was a persistent, nagging belief: she was unworthy of love, joy was for other people to exprience, her life was irredeemably broken. Her therapist, aiming to introduce positive affect interventions, tentatively suggested a simple gratitude practice. The response was immediate—and visceral.

“You want me to write down things I’m grateful for? Do you even understand what it feels like to be me?”

For Sarah, gratitude was not just difficult—it was threatening. It collided with her deeply entrenched cognitive schema of self-loathing and abandonment. Acknowledging moments of goodness felt alien, even dangerous, as if allowing herself to feel grateful would mean lowering her guard against inevitable disappointment.

This is where standard gratitude interventions fail. For many clients—particularly those with trauma histories, attachment wounds, or treatment-resistant depression—gratitude is not an easy or automatic shift. It is a process of cognitive and emotional restructuring, requiring careful therapeutic guidance.

So how do we introduce gratitude in a way that is attuned, precise, and clinically effective?

Why Gratitude is a Clinical Tool—Not Just a Feel-Good Practice
Dr Jonah Paquette brings an integrative, research-driven perspective to gratitude interventions, demonstrating that this is not about “thinking positively” but about reshaping the mind’s fundamental cognitive and affective processes.

In this training, we will explore:

• The Neuroscience of Gratitude: How gratitude modifies brain plasticity, cognitive flexibility, and emotional regulation through prefrontal-limbic interactions
• Gratitude and Trauma Recovery: The role of gratitude in reducing hypervigilance, fostering post-traumatic growth, and integrating positive affect without bypassing pain
• Attachment and Gratitude: Why clients with attachment wounds struggle with gratitude, and how to help them experience safety in receiving and expressing appreciation
• Gratitude and Depression: How gratitude-based interventions counteract anhedonia, cognitive rigidity, and the downward spiral of depressive rumination
• Therapist Considerations: Understanding when gratitude is contraindicated, when it is most effective, and how to introduce it in a way that respects a client’s emotional defences

Who Is This Training For?
This training is designed for clinicians who work with:

• Clients with complex trauma and PTSD: Who experience chronic hyperarousal, distrust of positive emotions, and difficulty integrating experiences of safety
• Clients with treatment-resistant depression: Where cognitive reappraisal alone is insufficient, and affective interventions need to be carefully scaffolded
• Clients with attachment wounds: Who struggle to experience or trust positive emotions, particularly in relational contexts
• Clients with chronic shame and self-criticism: Who feel disconnected from joy and reject the idea of gratitude as inauthentic or dangerous

If your clinical work involves navigating negative affect, cognitive rigidity, or emotional avoidance, this training will provide you with theoretical depth, clinical insights, and practical techniques to integrate gratitude in a way that is sophisticated, ethical, and trauma-informed.

Why Should Clinicians Invest in This Training?
Unlike common gratitude exercises that are widely available in self-help resources, this workshop offers:

• A rigorous, research-backed framework: Grounded in affective neuroscience, attachment theory, and trauma-informed principles
• A clinical, rather than general, approach: Moving beyond surface-level applications to understand how gratitude changes emotional and relational dynamics
• A focus on implementation: Practical guidance on when, how, and for whom gratitude interventions are most effective—and when they are not

This is an opportunity to rethink how we engage with positive affect in therapy, challenge misconceptions about gratitude, and explore its untapped clinical potential. Join us for this in-depth, intellectually stimulating session with Dr Jonah Paquette, and discover how gratitude—when used skilfully—can be a transformative intervention in psychotherapy.

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