Inspired by recent work in positive psychology, Positive Communication in Health and Wellness gives scholarly attention to what¿s going right in people¿s communication lives. The book harnesses a dispersed ¿ but powerful ¿ body of communication scholarship that has at its center a focus on building healthy communication contexts and generating wellness. By organizing and representing contemporary communication scholarship in the area of positive communication in health and wellness, the essays in this book will inspire collective action and further scholarship that highlights the potential for flourishing health, enhanced well-being, and greater human fulfillment through positive communication. This book will be useful in health communication courses as well as those in relational and organizational communication.

Margaret J. Pitts (PhD in communication, Penn State) is Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Arizona. She researches interpersonal communication patterns and processes during lifespan transitions such as ageing, end-of-life communication, and health/wellness decision-making. She has published in Health Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Journal of Language and Social Psychology.
Thomas J. Socha (PhD in communication, University of Iowa) is ODU University Professor of Communication at the Old Dominion University. He publishes extensively on communication and children, families, groups, and positive communication, and has coedited or coauthored 5 books. He was founding editor of the Journal of Family Communication, a recipient of a national research award, numerous teaching awards, and a national advising award.

Contents: Margaret J. Pitts/Thomas J. Socha: Positive Communication in Creating Healthy Lives, Healthy Relationships, and Health Institutions - Claire F. Sullivan: Positive Relational Communication: Impact on Health - Juliann C. Scholl: Humor as a Tool, Not the Therapy: A Preliminary Model of Humor in Health Communication - Christine S. Davis/John Mayo/Beth Piecora/Tessa Wimberley: The Social Construction of Hope through Strengths-Based Health Communication Strategies: A Children's Mental Health Approach - Chuck F. Aust: Communication in Self-Help Support Groups: Positive Communication and the Al-Anon Experience - Carla L. Fisher/Michelle Miller-Day/Jon F. Nussbaum: Healing through Healthy Doses of Positivity: Mothers' and Daughters' Positive Communication When Coping with Breast Cancer - Kelly F. Albada/Jessica L. Moore: Moving from Positive Thinking to Positive Talk: Implications for Relational Well-Being - Amanda J. Holmstrom: Esteem Support as a Form of Positive Communication: Connections to Well-Being - Mary Mino: Relationship Enhancement (RE) as One Approach for Improving Health and Wellness, Attaining Communication Gratification, and Communicating Positively - Jean DeHart: Positive Communication, Coaching, and Relational Health/Wellness - Maureen Keeley/Paula Baldwin: Final Conversations: Positive Communication at the End of Life - Theodore A. Avtgis/Andrew S. Rancer/Sherry G. Ford: Affirming Communication within the Healthcare Organization: Validating Strength through Talk in Trauma Medicine - Sandra L. French: Positive Communication and Organizational Crisis: Can CEOs Look on the Bright Side? - Janet Fulton: Communication Joy: Print Journalists and the Experience of Flow - Jenny Tatsak/Hollie D. Petit: Happy Classrooms = Happier Students: Making the Case for Positive Communication in Education - Linda M. Johnston/Deanna F. Womack: Positive Organizations for Older Adults in Community Settings - Claire E. Deal: Committed: Fostering Respect and Well-Being through Collaborative Theatrical Performance at Piedmont Regional Jail - Thomas J. Socha/Margaret J. Pitts: Coda. Apples and Positive Messages: Towards Healthy Communication Habits and Wellness.