How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain


  • Venue: Online via YouTube Live
  • Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
  • Time: 1:30 - 2:30 PM ET/ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM PT
  • Price: Free
  • Register

Join us for a special livestreamed conversation: How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain

Over the past two decades, a wave of research has found that being more grateful in life  increases health and happiness. But do gratitude’s benefits apply to people who struggle with mental health concerns? And, if so, how? Join us for an illuminating one-hour conversation with Adriana Alejandre, trauma therapist and founder of Latinx Therapy, and Joel Wong, professor in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology Programs at Indiana University. They will share insights into the psychological benefits of gratitude, along with practical techniques for people, and practitioners, to easily incorporate it into their day-to-day lives.

Moderated by Kia Afcari, the Director of Training at the Greater Good Science Center, this livestreamed discussion promises to be both enlightening and thought-provoking. Whether you're a mental health professional or interested in enhancing your own well-being, this event offers a unique opportunity to dive into the science of gratitude and discover how it can measurably benefit emotional resilience, relationships, and personal growth.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how gratitude improves our emotional and interpersonal landscapes, and strengthens our overall mental health.

To participate:

  • Register here to receive the livestream event link.
  • Tune in to our livestream event on November 21st at 1:30-2:30 PM ET / 10:30-11:30 AM PT.

This livestreamed conversation will be recorded and shared on our website shortly after the event.

  • Adriana Alejandre (she/her) is a Trauma Therapist, Consultant and Speaker from Los Angeles, California, who has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. Adriana owns her own bilingual group practice, EMDR and Trauma Therapy Center and is also the founder of Latinx Therapy, a directory and bilingual podcast that destigmatizes mental health myths & provides education to combat the mental health stigma. In 2021, she launched a community non-profit with a program called Therapy Dinero to bridge the accessibility gap by providing stipends for therapy for the Latinx community.

  • Joel Wong, Ph.D. (he/him) is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at Indiana University. Dr. Wong is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Asian American Psychological Association. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and has edited two books. Dr. Wong conducts research on gratitude interventions and practices and also maintains a website with practical resources on cultivating gratitude for lay people. Dr. Wong recently demonstrated the integration of gratitude practices in psychotherapy in a video produced by the American Psychological Association and has also developed an 8-week psychoeducational group program on gratitude.

  • Kia Afcari (he/him) is the Director of Training at the Greater Good Science Center. He has over 20 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and organizations with collaborative change, and has served as a consultant to a wide variety of organizations, including universities, tech companies, international NGOs, foundations, UN agencies, national laboratories, as well as US climate change foundations and nonprofits. Kia has a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s Degree in Intercultural and International Management from the School for International Training with a focus on organizational development.  He is a certified executive coach, and a certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator, Zenger Folkman 360TM Extraordinary Leader Facilitator, and Core StrengthsTM Facilitator.

    Kia’s TEDx talk on How We Can Reshape Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Together has over 73,000 views, and for his work supporting major culture change efforts at scale, Kia was awarded the Chief Learning Officer Magazine’s Silver Award for Innovation for his accomplishments in helping to shift the organizational culture of UC Berkeley’s 8,000 staff.