Psychotherapy have long focused on psychopathology and human problems. Although it is essential that therapists empathically listen to, witness, and respect client’s suffering and emotional pain, it is also important that we never lose sight of our potential for healing, growing, and flourishing. Indeed, emotional change occurs not only by addressing painful and maladaptive emotions but also by facilitating deepening and exploring experiences of positive emotions that can broaden our behavioral repertoires and build our psychological and physical resources.

In Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP: Fosha, 2000, 2021), the therapeutic roles of positive emotions in client transformational process are systematically laid out with distinct classes of positive emotions delineated. Positive emotions are not only the result of successfully working through emotional pain but are drivers of change and are systematically worked through to ignite, facilitate, and accelerate therapeutic changes.

In this semi-plenary talk, I will discuss findings from AEDP Practice-Research Network Study on roles of positive emotions in in-session change processes and therapeutic principles that are particularly useful in working with client positive emotions with a particular focus on initial sessions. Person-centered psychotherapists will be most optimally of help to their clients when they deeply honor, explore, and work through both human suffering and flourishing.