Traumatic life events are stressful and when coupled with decreased emotional expression they can have deleterious effects on a person's psychological and physical health. The empirical literature on programmed assignments, specifically Programmed Writing (PW) as a therapeutic intervention, was examined for its potential as a means to facilitate emotional expression and to improve health. The majority of the PW assignments focused on the emotional and cognitive aspects of a past or current trauma using one-to-four sessions. Overall, PW was found to be a cost- and time-effective intervention that may produce significant results in the overall functioning of clinical populations. It has resulted in improved functioning in the areas of affect; cognition; physiology; and behavior. PW assignments that encouraged development, implementation, and review of coping strategies proved most effective in improving functioning. Personality type was also a strong predictor on the effects of a PW assignment. Individuals who disclosed a high amount of material demonstrated stronger immune responses than individuals who disclosed a moderate amount of material. PW may be particularly helpful to populations that have experienced specific traumas and have insufficient coping skills to make their experiences manageable. (Contains 63 references.) (Author/JDM)