In this master’s thesis, the author sought to answer the question of how relational family therapists understand the role of positive emotions in the therapeutic space. The starting point of the research was the question of what role positive emotions play in the therapeutic process, where clients most often enter therapy due to distress, difficult emotions, symptoms, and relational problems.
The study included ten participants who work within the approach of relational family therapy. Using the grounded theory method, the author analysed semi-structured interviews and organised the findings into seven main areas: the therapist’s definition of positive emotions, the significance of positive emotions, the temporal dynamics of positive emotions in therapy, the client’s perspective on positive feelings, the therapist as a facilitator of positive regulation, positive emotions in the therapeutic relationship, and therapeutic work with positive emotions. In the discussion, the author connected the findings with existing literature in the fields of positive emotions, positive psychology, and psychotherapy, as well as with selected concepts of relational family therapy.
The results show that positive emotions in the therapeutic process are not understood as the opposite of negative emotions or merely as a way of directing the client toward pleasant experiences. Therapists understand them as an important part of a broader emotional and relational dynamic that can emerge alongside distress, complement it, and create space for a different experience of oneself, the other, and the relationship. According to the therapists’ experiences, positive emotions play an important role in establishing safety, trust, motivation, hope, a broader perspective, and a new relational experience.
The therapist’s stance appears to be particularly important, as the therapist, through attunement, responsiveness, and the ability to regulate, co-creates a space in which positive emotions can emerge authentically and safely. The thesis contributes to the understanding of positive emotions in relational family therapy and encourages further reflection on how therapists, while working with distress, can also recognise and include the positive aspects of the client’s experience.
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