Table 2.

Activities to promote positive psychological well-being in clinical encounters and beyond.

Characteristic/Asset	Introductory activity in clinical encounter	Structured activities	Skill to be developed
Optimism	Considering and discussing a better possible health-related future	Writing in detail about a best possible health-related future one year from now and how this could be realized	Developing optimistic health expectations and goal-focused accomplishment of these expectations
Gratitude	Discussing reasons to be grateful related to one’s current health status	Initiating a practice of recalling or journaling positive life events Writing a letter of gratitude to another person	Cultivating a grateful world-view, including gratitude for health.
Self- fficacy/confidence and use of personal strengths	Considering one’s prior successes, the characteristics that led to such successes, and how this might apply to health goals	Writing about a major past life success, and writing about how the skills that led to this success will apply to self-care Identifying a personal signature strength (e.g., perseverance, social intelligence, creativity) and using this strength in a new way	Developing a strengths-focused identity, and cultivating use of personal strength(s) for health-related activities
Positive affect	Discussing past positive life events and valued current activities that bring pleasure	Scheduling pleasurable activities Capitalizing on positive life events by savoring or sharing them	Creating a practice of experiencing and savoring positive life events
Meaning/purpose	Discussing the things in one’s life that provide a sense of purpose	Writing about one’s legacy, steps to reach those life goals, and how health related activities can facilitate such goals	Identifying specific, meaningful life goals and utilizing health-related self-care to facilitate reaching such goals