Amy R Krentzman

Amy R Krentzman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. Her research specializes in addiction recovery mechanisms, positive psychology interventions, and the role of spirituality in substance use disorder treatment. She maintains an active research profile with consistent publications since 2008, including 4 outputs in 2024 alone.

Her primary research explores:

• Positive psychology interventions (particularly journaling) for substance use disorders
• 12-step program efficacy and spiritual components
• Cross-cultural addiction recovery patterns (e.g., studies in Poland)
• Well-being as a predictor of treatment retention
• Measurement methodologies in recovery studies

Recent publications (2023-2024) demonstrate a strong focus on developing and testing positive psychology-based interventions for addiction recovery, with particular emphasis on journaling techniques, cross-cultural validation of 12-step programs, and understanding the relationship between happiness metrics and treatment outcomes. Her work consistently appears in high-impact journals including Journal of Positive Psychology and Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment.